Google teases more cities with bonkers-fast fiber broadband rollouts Google has named nine areas in the US that could be added to its high-speed fiber internet connection service. The ad giant said that the new markets will be considered for broadband rollouts this year, with final decisions to be taken at the end of 2014. The nine candidates include the cities of Charlotte, NC; Nashville, TN …
Ultimately Google will be a major US cable TV and Internet provider in every sizeable town. Maybe in as many nations as profitable and possible too. This is a good way for Google to convert excess capital into ever increasing cash flow. Two years after installation these fiber customers become pure profit, $840/yr each. It also guarantees them equal access to the last mile, protecting their ad business.
Incumbent cable oligopolies have the same level of investment to pay as Google if they want to offer fiber, so Google is not disadvantaged. I can't foresee Comcast even putting up a good fight. They are still trying to sell the story that we don't even want this.
They're going to skim the cream off the US broadband market, deploying in markets where it is easy and inexpensive to deploy. Just as Verizon did with FIOS.
They're never going to be hitting small rural towns that are underserved by broadband, only giving the ones who already have access to 50-300 Mb access to 1 Gb.
The Roosterteeth guys talk about it on their podcast since they're tech guys based there.
There are 3 companies providing gigabit[1] (AT&T, Google, and some local outfit) and they don't overlap in the service areas. One guy has AT&T because that's the area he's in, one has Google because that's the area *he's* in, and one doesn't have gigabit because of the usual "I'm 2 streets outside everybody's service area" so as usual it's not real competition.
1 - AT&T isn't providing gigabit *yet* - it's 250Mbit and should be gigabit "real soon now" (not that I would mind!)
Contrary to many/most commentators, I look forward to (possible) arrival of Google fiber in my neighborhood. Our present vendor, Comcast, delivers decent, but sometimes burdened, service for a rather high price and competition would be good to see, as would the implied 20 - 50 fold speed increase.
As with any other infrastructure, it will be put first in population centers, and to prevent its becoming a loss center Google may decline to extend it too far into the boondocks and other solutions may be appropriate. However, Provo tried that a few years ago and apparently didn't do it awfully well, hence their willingness to give it to Google and pay additional to document it.
I go along with the other commentards who note that the low profit center type of towns won't ever see this. The area I'm in certainly won't. We've been promised high bandwidth for more years than I care to think about and it never happens. The companies want that "return on investment" and PROFIT.
One of the local cities had a municipal fiber system installed and operating on it's own. Then tax dollars dropped, technology costs ramped up as did support costs. That fiber is now dark as none of the local IPS's (Charter or Centurylink) want to come in. Guess there's just not enough profit servicing 20,000+ people.
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