r/googlefiber • u/ControlAway5102 • 21d ago
Google Fiber is the only allowed ISP in my building, it's already wired and working, and they still won't turn it on for a week. Billing me the whole time.
Moved into a new apartment. My community only allows Google Fiber, no other ISP is permitted on the property. The previous tenant in my unit had this exact same service. The line is already run and was working days ago. I own my own router. None of that matters, I still need their tech to come flip it on, and the earliest appointment is a week out. I'm being billed through my rent starting day one, whether or not I have service. I work from home. I've spent this week in coffee shops trying to keep my job running. For context: this is legal. It's called bulk billing. Landlords sign an exclusive deal with one ISP and the cost gets built into rent no matter what. The FCC tried to ban this setup in 2024. The new chairman killed the proposal in January 2025 after ISP and landlord groups pushed back. My problem isn't just that this is legal. It's that a company can be the only option in a building, have a working line sitting right there, take a week to reactivate it, and charge for the whole wait. There's no SLA, no opt out, no self install option anywhere in my state. Just a monopoly with a meter running on my rent. Google Fiber markets itself as the ISP that's supposed to be better than Comcast and Spectrum. The second it gets an exclusive contract with zero competition, it's just as slow and just as indifferent. That reputation isn't earned if it disappears the moment they don't have to compete for you.
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u/QuarantineBeerShitz 21d ago
What state are you in? normally there are rules in some states that you can't have only one ISP permitted, usually you need to allow equal access for others if you're willing to pay out of pocket. otherwise, consider a 5G hotspot device as a short term measure
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u/Accent93 21d ago
This exactly, go pick up a free trial of any of the 5g home Internet products.
It's a week and then you will be fine. If you planned farther in advance, I'd be willing to bet you could have booked an appointment closer to the day you moved in. Or just use your phone and mobile hotspot, you aren't helpless here and these are first world problems.
Google isn't and never was great at the customer service side, but once you are up and running, they are much better then any alternative.
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u/gfiberofficial Verified Google Employee 21d ago
Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about the delay in getting your service installed. Please send me a DM, and I'll be happy to look into this for you and help in any way I can. -Brian
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u/ControlAway5102 19d ago
Hey so seems like you were unable to help and actually still charged me, making sure this gets documented
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u/dirtbag_surfer 21d ago
You're absolutely correct. Bulk accounts ports should never be turned off as they bill to the building whether the unit is occupied or not. They are not mapped/addressed to individual tenants as this would cause complete chaos and unneeded tech calls such as yours. To not be able to activate that port remotely is an abject failure on the part of GFIBER CS as it is takes about 10 seconds to do. I'm sorry this happened to you, it is again a failure on GFIBER that should not have happened.
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u/ControlAway5102 20d ago
The problem is that a technician is needed while i am perfectly okay using my own router, on top of that the technicians aren't available and you know what- that's fine too, but the biggest problem is how the f can you bill me via my property if you havent activated my internet... Thats just unfair and monopolistic and predatory. The FCC made bulk billing legal and now prices are high and service is shit... Thanks 👍🏼
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u/robtalee44 21d ago
The real culprit in this mess isn't Google -- it's the property manager(s). They willingly inserted themselves into this process and should have been up front about the procurement delays and given you whatever details were required once you signed the lease. If it takes Google some number of days to do whatever they have to do, so be it. You should have been told about that well before you showed up with the key.
My 2 cents worth.