What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Local government records have finally confirmed what we pretty much already knew: Google Fiber is targeting the Las Vegas metro area as its first market in Nevada.
“We're hopeful that the Clark County Commission will approve our franchise agreement — that will allow us to start the construction process in unincorporated Clark County, Nevada. We're looking forward to next week's vote, and ultimately to bringing fast, reliable internet to the Las Vegas metro area,” a Google Fiber representative told Fierce Telecom.
Government records for Clark County – where Las Vegas is located – show Google Fiber submitted an application for a 10-year public utility franchise agreement there on December 7, 2023. County rules require such contracts to go through both a first reading, during which the public is made aware of its existence, and a second reading, during which the public can comment on the item before a final vote is held.
The proposed contract first appeared before the Clark County Board of Commissioners on January 2, 2024 as part of the council’s consent agenda (which includes items that can be approved without discussion). A second reading and opportunity for public comment is set to be held next week on Tuesday, February 6.
To be clear, even though Las Vegas is in Clark County, the deal won't necessarily give Google Fiber the right to build across the entire city. That's because the proposed contract is with the Clark County government and not the City of Las Vegas, which has its own governing body. That said, significant portions of the metro area are unincorporated and thus fall under Clark County's jurisdiction.
There are about 400,000 households in the unincorporated areas of Clark County and about 830,000 in all of Clark County including incorporated areas.
Google Fiber has been working on this deal for some time now. In June 2023, the operator filed an application with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada for permission to operate as a telecommunications provider in the state. It received approval in August before going on to submit its application with the county.
Winding road
In August 2022, the operator announced plans to expand to five new states over the coming years. It subsequently revealed build plans for Arizona (Mesa and Chandler), Colorado (Lakewood and Westminster), Nebraska (Omaha) and Idaho (Pocatello). Nevada was the only expansion state for which Google Fiber never named a target market.
There were, however, hints that the Las Vegas metro would be a focal point. Last February, Google Fiber GM of Expansion Markets Mark Strama told Fierce it was engaged with five jurisdictions in the same metro area. Las Vegas has five licensing jurisdictions within the city.
It won’t be the only newcomer in several of its expansion markets. Gigapower, the fiber joint venture AT&T formed with private equity firm BlackRock, locked in franchise agreements in Mesa, Chandler and Las Vegas in late 2022/early 2023.
Update 2/1/2023 10:05 pm ET: This story has been updated to stress that Google Fiber proposed contract is with Clark County and not the City of Las Vegas. The two are different government entities.