GFiber, previously Google Fiber, is attempting to reassure customers that “nothing is altering” about its web service, which is slated to merge with Astound Broadband later this yr.
On Thursday, GFiber despatched an e mail to subscribers promising the “similar nice web expertise” two weeks after the merger was introduced. The e-mail, from GFiber CEO Dinni Jain, notes that Astound’s mum or dad firm, “Stonepeak, an infrastructure funding agency, is buying a majority stake in GFiber.”
The monetary and enterprise phrases of the association stay unclear. However Google’s mum or dad, Alphabet, “will nonetheless be a shareholder after the deal closes, which is anticipated in This autumn topic to customary closing situations,” Jain added.
(Credit score: GFiber/PCMag)
The merger naturally raises questions on adjustments to GFiber, which final yr received our Readers’ Selection Award for greatest general ISP. However within the e mail, GFiber’s CEO says: “First, let me guarantee you that nothing is altering about your GFiber service—not the velocity, not the value, and never the extraordinary buyer expertise you’ve come to count on from us.
“The GFiber government crew will proceed to guide the corporate as we step into this subsequent chapter. Our focus stays the identical: delivering an unparalleled expertise to your constructing and group,” he added.
Nevertheless, Jain famous that the service has formally adopted GFiber as its identify, transitioning away from its authentic title, Google Fiber. “We’ve been utilizing the GFiber identify for some time now, however transferring ahead, you’ll see it in much more locations. As an organization with a robust love of velocity, now even our identify is quicker,” he wrote.
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Regardless of Jain’s e mail, some GFiber subscribers stay nervous that Stonepeak will drive profit-focused adjustments down the road. “Enshitification shall ensue,” wrote one person on Reddit.
Nevertheless, Astound and GFiber have stated the mixed firm guarantees to unlock a brand new part of progress for GFiber, together with “increasing its customer-first method and pioneering fiber expertise throughout the nation.”
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About Our Professional
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
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I have been a journalist for over 15 years. I bought my begin as a faculties and cities reporter in Kansas Metropolis and joined PCMag in 2017, the place I cowl satellite tv for pc web providers, cybersecurity, PC {hardware}, and extra. I am presently based mostly in San Francisco, however beforehand spent over 5 years in China, masking the nation’s expertise sector.
Since 2020, I’ve lined the launch and explosive progress of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite tv for pc web service, writing 600+ tales on availability and have launches, but in addition the regulatory battles over the enlargement of satellite tv for pc constellations, fights with rival suppliers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the hassle to develop into satellite-based cellular service. I’ve combed by FCC filings for the newest information and pushed to distant corners of California to check Starlink’s mobile service.
I additionally cowl cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this yr, the FTC pressured Avast to pay customers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and promoting their private info to third-party shoppers, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I additionally cowl the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in entrance of a Finest Purchase to get an RTX 3000. I am now following how President Trump’s tariffs will have an effect on the trade. I am all the time desirous to be taught extra, so please leap within the feedback with suggestions and ship me suggestions.
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