Google Fiber, Alphabet's attempt to take on big cable companies with a cheaper and faster service, began back in 2011. Fiber was first tested in California but soon began to expand to other parts of the country. However, bringing gigabit fiber internet to the entire country proved to be a more expensive, difficult and time-consuming project than Access (Alphabet's Fiber branch) initially hoped.
Indeed, Access was eventually forced to cancel hundreds of Kansas installations and shift many employees away from the project. After realizing merely laying down fiber wouldn't be enough to service all potential customers (such as those in metropolitan areas), the company acquired gigabit wireless service provider Webpass to expand their service further.
The company later hired broadband veteran Grey McRay to fill the role of CEO but he stepped down a mere five months later, prompting the company to spend five additional months searching for their new leader. Fortunately for Access, they've finally found him - former Time Warner Cable executive Dinesh Jain will be taking over as company CEO.
It's unclear whether or not Jain will be able put Google back on the path towards service expansion but the company's recent hiring decisions may not bode well for their early plans to differentiate themselves from other network providers.