BREAKING: Google Fiber is Coming to Wake Forest

If you grew up here, you remember the days when “high-speed internet” was a dream and connectivity was at the mercy of the weather. I still remember trying to use dial-up from off Ligon Mill Road, hoping the phone line was good enough to maintain a connection. When a bad storm rolled through, you could pretty much guarantee you’d be offline.

We’ve come a long way since then. Wake Forest has grown by more than 300%, and our infrastructure has had to keep up. Today, I’m proud to report a significant win for that infrastructure: Google Fiber (GFiber) is officially coming to Wake Forest.

This isn’t just a rumor. Shortly after their public announcement, I had the opportunity to sit down for an exclusive interview with Jess George, GFiber’s Head of Government & Community Affairs regionally, to get the details on what this rollout means for our residents, our wallets, and our streets.

Why This Matters

For a town that is increasingly powered by remote workers, seniors connecting with family, a booming local business economy, and an expanding student base at the seminary and in our local schools, competition is critical. Jess George told me that the reception from the Town of Wake Forest has been exceptional.

“It is so clear to me that this town has this great marriage between maintaining the Wake Forest identity… but also really wanting this to be a place where if you’re born and raised in Wake Forest, you can stay there and have robust career, educational, and community opportunities,” George said.

The Plans: Speed Without the Price Hikes

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was stability. In a market where bills seem to creep up every year, George highlighted a statistic that stands out:

“10 years ago when we had one gig for $70, it is still $70. We haven’t raised our price once in our history.”

Here is the breakdown of the tiers GFiber plans to bring to Wake Forest:

The Core Plan: 1 Gig for $70/month.
The “Home” Plan: 3 Gigs for $100/month (Designed for heavy streaming and work-from-home families).
The “Edge” Plan: 8 Gigs for $150/month (For gamers, day traders, and power users who need zero latency).

Construction: When and How?

We all know the headaches that come with infrastructure upgrades—dug-up yards and blocked sidewalks. I asked George specifically about “construction fatigue,” especially for neighborhoods that have already seen other fiber trucks recently.

The Timeline: Construction is slated to begin in the first half of 2026 (Spring).

The Method: GFiber intends to use “microtrenching” where possible—cutting narrow slices in the roadbed rather than tearing up entire softscapes. This minimizes disruption to yards and driveways.

The Promise: If they damage your sod or a sidewalk? They promise to fix it.

“We want people to feel like we left their neighborhood better than the way we found it,” George told me, noting they have a 24/7 hotline staffed by real humans (who have to answer within 3 seconds!) to handle construction complaints.

Bridging the Divide

A significant part of my discussion with Jess—who also serves as GFiber’s Head of Digital Equity—was about ensuring this new technology doesn’t leave our underserved neighbors behind.

GFiber is continuing its commitment to low-income households. Although the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has ended, GFiber has maintained its own version: a 300 Mbps plan for $30/month for qualifying households. They also plan to connect local nonprofits and public housing units at no cost through their “Gigabit Communities” program.

What’s Next?

While they are still finalizing the exact design of the network (and figuring out where the local “Fiber Hut” will go), the commitment is real. Sign up for updates from GFiber.

We will be staying in close contact with the GFiber team as they prepare to put shovels in the ground this Spring. Expect follow-up reports here on Wake Forest Matters and in the Wake Forest Gazette as we track the rollout neighborhood by neighborhood.

This is a momentous step for Wake Forest. It’s not just about faster downloads; it’s about resilience, competition, and ensuring our town remains a place where the future is built.

Stay tuned to Wake Forest Matters & the Wake Forest Gazette for updates on the groundbreaking ceremony and construction alerts for your neighborhood.