Source: https://fiber.google.com/

Google says it’s interested in bringing its fiber service to the Atlanta area, and says the cities in the metro area that made the short list for consideration aren’t in competition.

But one of the enduring questions has been whether the internet search giant would move forward with metro area cities that are ready for the service even if other cities aren’t ready.

That specific question cropped up during the March 3 Decatur City Commission meeting.

City Manager Peggy Merriss said, “They’re not going to start a build out until all the nine partners are ready to go.”

But Lena Stevens, Decatur’s project lead, said Google, “Might move forward with some of the smaller communities first” if those communities are ready before the others.

So which is it? Decaturish.com put the question to Google’s spokesperson and got an answer that’s about as clear-cut as the discussion at the city commission’s meeting.

“It’s hard to say at this point,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We’ll be making decisions based on conditions specific to each set of communities. But we do think the real benefits of fiber accrue when an entire region has it.”

There you have it. Sort of.

Decaturish also asked if Google sees itself as a direct competitor to the current broadband services, Comcast and AT&T, and how the company feels about the impact its fiber service could have on the local market.

“Competition and choice are good things for people who want access to faster internet speeds,” the company spokesperson said.