Google Fiber Aims to Offer Broadband in Colorado Springs

A Google affiliate wants to offer its fiber broadband service in Colorado Springs (CO) in 2023 if the company can reach an agreement with Colorado Springs Utilities to lease its planned network. Google Fiber, owned by Google parent Alphabet, would become the second tenant on Utilities' planned 2,000-mile network, which is expected to get underway in summer 2022 and be available to its first residential customers early 2023. Ting Internet became the first tenant when it signed a 25-year lease in late 2021, allowing Utilities to speed up construction from 15 years to six years and helping to offset some of the up to $100 million annual construction cost. Brian Wortinger, Utilities' fiber-optic and telecommunications enterprise manager, said "several" internet providers are interested in leasing part of the network, but he declined to say how many or identify them. He expects leases from providers like Ting and Google to offset a "significant part," if not completely offset, the cost of building the network. Utilities plans to seek bids later in March from contractors who would build the network. Google Fiber provides fiber-optic-based internet service in 12 cities in nine states since launching the service in Kansas City (MO) and Provo (UT) a decade ago.