Google Fiber quit Louisville 18 months after launch when its shallow trenches failed

Google Fiber opened signups in Louisville, Kentucky in October 2017. Its crews used 'shallow trenching', laying cable about two inches beneath the sides of roads and covering it with sealant. It was cheaper than digging deeper and, as The Verge noted, also a way around disputes over utility pole access with rivals such as AT&T.

The method failed. Some cable became exposed over time and needed a second cover-up with hot asphalt. On 7 February 2019 Alphabet's Access division confirmed it would shut the service on 15 April, saying 'We're not living up to the high standards we set for ourselves'. According to the report, Google Fiber said it would have to rebuild the entire network to bring it to a satisfactory standard, and Alphabet was unwilling to spend the cash.

Customers were told of the exit and not charged for their final two months. Google Fiber said the lessons from Louisville had improved micro-trenching in other cities. Louisville officials, who had eased the build, did not voice much anger publicly and pointed to AT&T, Spectrum and a middle-mile fiber initiative as alternatives.

Cable laid two inches deep did not hold up and became exposed, where San Antonio's similar method went at least six inches down.

The only full fix was to rebuild the whole network, which Alphabet judged not worth the cost after already cutting back Fiber investment.

Broadband build-out is capital-intensive, and the trenching shortcuts were meant to control that cost.

A cheaper installation method needs proof in the field before you scale a city around it. Savings on trenching vanished once the network had to be rebuilt.

Google Fiber left Louisville on 15 April 2019 and continued in other cities such as Atlanta, Austin and Nashville. The Verge noted AT&T had connected more homes with fiber in the city, but that its service was more expensive and Spectrum's gigabit tier did not match Fiber's upload speeds, leaving consumers worse off. It was the second Fiber retreat after the closure of Webpass service in Boston a year earlier.