The council approved a nonexclusive franchise agreement with Google Fiber that sets a 2% franchise fee on retail gross sales. Google Fiber representatives promised a dedicated city contact, a 24/7 hotline and coordination to reduce construction impacts.
The Alpharetta City Council on Monday approved a nonexclusive franchise agreement with Google Fiber that will allow the company to install network facilities in the city right‑of‑way and remit a 2% franchise fee on retail sales to the city.
City staff said the agreement follows a standardized template used in other Georgia municipalities and was negotiated with assistance from a Georgia Municipal Association consultant. Staff described the 2% fee as exceeding the minimum compensation available under state law.
Jess George, who identified herself as leading government and community affairs for Google Fiber in the East, told the council the company plans to assign full‑time Google Fiber staff as primary points of contact for city officials and residents and operates "a 24/7 hotline answered by a real live human." She said Google Fiber will work with city staff to coordinate construction sequencing and, when practical, pause work in neighborhoods that recently experienced other infrastructure projects to reduce repeated disruptions.
Council members asked about revenue projections and construction sequencing. Google Fiber representatives declined to provide customer or revenue forecasts but said design work will follow the franchise and that construction sequencing typically follows engineering priorities, such as hut‑site placement for backbone connections.
Mayor Pro Tem Merkel moved approval; the motion passed unanimously.
