Google Fiber will be installing gigabit internet at no cost to select affordable housing locations in all cities that Fiber will be installed in.

“We’re working with local providers to identify which properties we’ll connect across these markets,” the company announced in a release Wednesday. “We’ll have more to share as we bring Google Fiber to these cities.”

Google installed the first free gigabit internet service in Kansas City Wednesday, wiring all 100 homes in the West Bluff Townhomes.

“We’re really excited,” said Chapel Hill mayor Pam Hemminger. “It was good news to our ears about helping out with the public housing and doing free internet for the public housing system.”

She said there is currently no timetable for instillation, but Google Fiber has announced that gigabit internet will be coming to Chapel Hill.

“We’ll be working with them on what that looks like,” Hemminger said. “We still don’t have a time schedule from Google, but we’re eagerly waiting to hear when that’s coming forward.”

No decisions have been made about which public housing complexes will be receiving Fiber, but Google’s gigabit rival AT&T has already announced their plan to bring internet to public housing.

“They’ve been out there putting in the cable for better internet, higher speeds,” she said. “They have also gone to the public housing units to install that.”

The difference in the two plans is Google will be installing the high-speed gigabit internet for free into public housing complexes, while AT&T is giving their standard internet package with the option of paying extra for gigabit.

“The opportunity is to have either or, or both, I think that’s great,” Hemminger said.

Related Stories
‹
Google Fiber Moving Forward with Installation in Chapel Hill
Google has announced that its project, Google Fiber, will not be accepting any more new cities for its Internet network. The project was created to go up against cable and other Internet providers as a much faster option. But the process has proven to be too expensive. According to Bloomberg, nine percent of the staff […]
'Together is The Only Path Forward': Orange County's Habitat for Humanity Hosts Affordable Housing Summit
Amid a shortage of affordable housing – both locally and nationally – the Orange County chapter of Habitat for Humanity recently held a summit to discuss how leaders can collectively aim to better address the issue.
On the Porch: Beth Bronson - For Orange County
This Week: Beth Bronson is a 2026 candidate for County Commissioner of Orange County NC, in District 2. An Orange County native and UNC alum, Beth and her partner Dale, bought their first home in 2020 and rehabilitated their vernacular brick ranch into their forever home in the Mebane/Cheeks area. She has come up in both the local service industry and as a clinical researcher at one of the area’s top research hospitals. After working to ensure over-development did not change her neighborhood, she applied to multiple advisory boards, with current appointments on both the Planning Board and Board of Adjustments for Orange County.
Checking the Area Housing Inventory - Dec. 11, 2025
The Hill's Andrew Stuckey speaks with Vice President of Advocacy for the Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Ian Scott, Policy Director for Carolina Forward and Chapel Hill Town Council Member Theodore Nollert, and President of the Orange and Chatham County Association of Realters Randy Voller. They discussed the current housing inventory in the Chapel Hill area, including how much and what type of housing is still missing, and what tools the community has to encourage more housing. They also discussed what they hope to see different in the area's housing market in 2026, and more.
On the Porch: Daniele Berman and Kimberly Sanchez - Community Home Trust
This Week: Kimberly Sanchez has been a nonprofit leader for over 15 years, having come to Community Home Trust (CHT) as the former CEO of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF), a nonprofit law firm and legal aid organization, headquartered in Orlando, Florida.  She is a member of the Board of Directors for Dispute Settlement Center, a statewide conflict resolution nonprofit headquartered in Carrboro. She is also a member of the North Carolina Community Land Trust Coalition and a past co-chair of the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition (OCAHC).  Daniele Berman is the Vice President of Strategy and Operations for Community Home Trust. She plays a key role in advancing the organization’s mission through strategic planning, effective program execution, and organizational infrastructure development. Daniele has worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade and was recognized for her work as a “Hometown Hero” by WCHL in 2016. She represents CHT as a member of the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition (OCAHC) and the North Carolina Community Land Trust Coalition (NCCLTC) and has served as a Peer Coach with Nonprofit Marketing Guide
1.4M of the Nation’s Poorest Renters Risk Losing Their Homes With Trump’s Proposed HUD Time Limit
President Donald Trump's administration is proposing changes to HUD's rental assistance programs, including a two-year limit to be in a unit.
Residents of Chapel Hill's Elliott Woods Apartments Share Concerns of Displacement, Conditions as A Sale Looms
The Elliott Woods Apartments and Chase Park Apartments complexes in Chapel Hill are set to be sold. Tenants are worried about their futures amid poor current conditions.
North Carolina Housing Bill Draws Praise, Scorn and Suggestions From Local Representatives
Senate Bill 205 has drawn both praise and criticism for provisions meant to increase the rate of approval for housing projects, but at the expense of some local government control.
Habitat for Humanity Breaks Ground on 75-Unit Townhome Neighborhood in Hillsborough
Habitat for Humanity and local leaders gathered on June 12 to formally begin the work on Auman Village, a townhome community in Hillsborough.
Chapel Hill Council Approves Affordable Workforce Housing Community Along MLK Boulevard
The Chapel Hill Town Council recently unanimously approved a proposed affordable workforce housing community close to downtown.
›