FCC backs Google Fiber in Louisville spat

The FCC has put its weight behind Google in the Chocolate Factory's fight to bring Fiber to Louisville, Kentucky, US. In a filing [PDF] to a Kentucky district court, the US comms watchdog says it believes Google should have the right to string its fiber data lines on city utility poles with the ability to lift up or move …

[Anonymous Coward]

Makes it easier for Google to snoop all your data...

...and share it with the NSA.

Welcome to Freedom Citizen.

[Gene Cash]

Re: Makes it easier for Google to snoop all your data...

Pssht. At the rate my bits trickle out, the NSA would die of boredom. I welcome our new gigabit overlords.

It looks like it's too little, too late, since Google has already thrown in the towel on the fiber service. Which is sad, as it was probably my only hope of getting decent service at a decent price.

[Jeffrey Nonken]

The more competition the entrenched incumbents get, the better for everybody else.

[Anonymous Coward]

Comcast doesn't own the utility poles, does it?

Weren't they put it in place by the electric or telephone incumbent years earlier? So why is Comcast claiming some special rights over them? What am I missing here?

[Eddy Ito]

Re: Comcast doesn't own the utility poles, does it?

They do own their cables and what they don't want is for Google to move them on the poles nor do they want the expense of moving the cables themselves. Can't really say I blame them since it means some of their customers connections will be disturbed even if Google does it's best not to. I'll add that in some places I've lived it wasn't unusual for the cable and phone guys to screw with each others lines forcing a service call.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Comcast doesn't own the utility poles, does it?

Had the phone company had the same attitude, cable would never have existed. Whoever owns the pole, makes the rules. Just like if I have a pool party, the people that were there first don't get to decide whether a latecomer gets to dive in.