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Open records – Avondale provides Google doc

Avondale Estates Decatur

Open records – Avondale provides Google doc

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A map from https://fiber.google.com/newcities/ that shows cities the internet search giant Google wants to provide with its Google Fiber service.

A map from https://fiber.google.com/newcities/ that shows cities the internet search giant Google wants to provide with its Google Fiber service.

Avondale Estates Commissioners on April 21 approved a license agreement with Google that predicts big things will happen if the company chooses to do business in the city.

Documents provided to city commissioners call it “an important economic development win.”

“Property values may rise,” the document says.

Under the agreement, the city would grant Google access to city owned property to place its “huts,” a local nerve center for the fiber optics network that can service up to 20,000 homes.

City officials told Decaturish.com to file an open records request to obtain the license agreement that commissioners approved on April 21. A reporter filed the request on April 22. Even though the city legally can take up to three days to respond, the city provided the documents on April 23. The city did not charge Decaturish for producing the records.

To download the hut license agreement, click this link: Google hut agreement

The agreement itself follows closely a template provided by Google in its checklist to cities. Avondale Estates will charge Google between $2.50 and $3.50 per square foot to lease city property. The term of the agreement is 20 years. Google can cancel its agreement at any time with 30 days written notice. The city can terminate the agreement too with 180 days written notice “if the city determines that the applicable network hut site is needed for a compelling public purpose.” The city would agree to “use its best efforts” to help Google find an alternative to the city-owned site, according to the agreement.

The more intriguing information is contained at the end of the license as a list of “frequently asked questions” about the project.

The FAQ offers details about the company’s service offerings, if the company decides Avondale and the metro area is a good fit.

One of the questions is, “If Google comes, what will they offer?”

The document says the company will provide:

– A gigabit internet plan up to 100 times faster than average broadband speeds at a cost of $70 per month. The company will waive a $300 construction fee.

– A gigabit internet and TV plan that includes “hundreds of HD channels” for $120 per month. The company will waive the $300 construction fee on that one, too.

– A “free internet” plan that connects a user to “average” broadband – 5 mbps down, 1 up – for no recurring monthly fee. Customers would pay the $300 construction fee with no recurring fee for seven years, the document says.

Avondale Estates and Decatur are both in the running to receive the service. The hut license agreement was Avondale Estates’ last step in its application, due May 1.

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