Ever since its announcement in 2012, Google Fiber has stood out amongst other ISPs, on the one hand due to its offerings, and on the other due to its limited availability. However, this ambitious project has now been hit with the latest in a series of setbacks.
It emerged via a report from Bloomberg that the Alphabet-owned ISP has sent out emails to several hundred people in the Kansas City area who will not be getting Google Fiber installations. The email sent out details that while the firm has been “working hard” to bring in the service, they are currently “unable to build” the network required for installation in the affected homes and businesses.
While its parent company has remained very profitable, Other Bets (the part of Alphabet to which Google Fiber belongs) posted an operating loss of $1.088bn on revenues of $262 million. Future rollouts had already been jeopardized via workforce cuts last year, but this development concerns people who have made deposits years ago.
The company stated it would refund affected customers’ deposits, typically $10, within the next two weeks, with those who already have the service retaining ownership.