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Google Launches New Community Fiber Website
Perhaps someday we'll see an actual deployment

Google announced their plan to deploy 1 Gbps fiber to the home service to a limited number of households back in February, and while they haven't delivered a single bit yet -- the announcement operated as a very effective PR tool --keeping Google's name in the press constantly as a company that was going to change the telecom sector, even if their project will never actually expand beyond a few select test networks.

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With press attention waning, Google has launched a new community fiber website and a very feel good video thanking the 1,100 communities and 194,000 individuals that contacted Google in the hopes of deployment in their town.

Google's deployment target won't even be named until late this year, but the website acts as a lobbying tool to help push conduit installs. Specifically, Google apparently wants voters to support a bill that would require installation of conduit in federally-funded transportation projects (we discussed this back in April). Google also offers tips for cities on how to streamline conduit deployment.

All of this good for national fiber, but Google does need to be careful that they don't over-hype their project. While their new video portrays their initiative as some kind of national fiber renaissance, users may wind up disappointed once they realize how limited in scope Google's actual fiber deployments will be. Only between 50,000 and 500,000 users will ever see this service, and Google has repeatedly stated they have no interest in being a national carrier.

As such, people need to be fully aware that while a positive thing, Google's effort isn't a revolution in communications. It's a public relations tool, a next-generation advertising test bed, and a political weapon.
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sonicmerlin
join:2009-05-24
Cleveland, OH

1 recommendation

sonicmerlin

Member

Perhaps

If it's profitable they could spin off the company while retaining a minority stake in it.

spewak
R.I.P Dadkins
Premium Member
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA

spewak

Premium Member

I wet myself..

and I am willing to change my name to Google to get fiber...oh wait, I already have FTTH! It was a nice thought though.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: I wet myself..

you have 1gpbs to your home?

spewak
R.I.P Dadkins
Premium Member
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA

1 recommendation

spewak

Premium Member

Re: I wet myself..

No Hoff!
I said Fiber To The Home, not Google to the home! Go have another beer you wankuh!

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: I wet myself..

no beer at my house. i have the tough decision between crown royal and captain morgan. :-\
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

public relations honeymoon's over

google should finally put it's money where it's mouth is and serve it's first customer(s) by the end of THIS YEAR! EVEN IF IT COST EXTRA!! what a lazy company raking in billions in revenue, and can't get a simple job done when it's been proven to be successful in at least few countries: sweden & s. korea, and even japan.
openbox9
Premium Member
join:2004-01-26
71144

openbox9

Premium Member

Re: public relations honeymoon's over

But why. The FTTPR (fiber to the press release) will continue to suit Google just fine for a while longer. I do agree, Google needs to put up or shut up. After all, they've only got $26B ($83/shr) in cash sitting around.

Duramax08
To The Moon
Premium Member
join:2008-08-03
San Antonio, TX

Duramax08

Premium Member

They just put some conduit near my house

going under the road towards me. 1 used, 2 pipes left. Cans i has fiber nao?

jap
Premium Member
join:2003-08-10
038xx

2 edits

jap

Premium Member

Only?

quote:
"Only between 50,000 and 500,000 users will ever see this service"
That's a hellava spread to put "only" in front of.

Alcohol
Premium Member
join:2003-05-26
Climax, MI

Alcohol

Premium Member

Re: Only?

said by jap:

quote:
"Only between 50,000 and 500,000 users will ever see this service"
That's a hellava spread to put "only" in front of.
Out of hundreds of millions.

jap
Premium Member
join:2003-08-10
038xx

1 edit

jap

Premium Member

Re: Only?

said by Alcohol:

Out of hundreds of millions.
The proposal is a few medium sized cities, not a house here, a house there spread over the nation. Dropping 10,000 connections into five different cities is *way* different than 100,000 into same cities.

We've near-zero context in which to eval social & industry impact even if we knew the numbers. So, yeah, I say dismissing the impacts potentiated by 50K versus 500K is disingenuous.

That said I'm probably right inline with the average BBR reader in exepecting deployments will be under 250k. But (ostensibly) that's a different discussion and completely unreferenced here.

= = = = = = EDIT:
along with the line "while they haven't delivered a single bit yet". A false context setup as everybody knows there's no capability to do so. Snarky and, ultimately, equally unhelpful in conveying the otherwise informative core of the article: framing this connectivity project in terms of Google's business model.

atuarre
Here come the drums
Premium Member
join:2004-02-14
EC/SETX SWLA

atuarre

Premium Member

RE

The smart people knew Google never intended to deploy fiber. It was a PR stunt, kind of like them and the spectrum auctions.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: RE

Yep! I agree. You can also bring the Nexus One into the mess. And what about the "ideas" page they launched 9+ months ago to donate money to those ideas. Still nothing has surfaced. They're just a press release machine and nothing more.

tubbynet
reminds me of the danse russe
MVM
join:2008-01-16
Gilbert, AZ

tubbynet to atuarre

MVM

to atuarre
said by atuarre:

The smart people knew Google never intended to deploy fiber. It was a PR stunt, kind of like them and the spectrum auctions.
yep. funny -- because i was ridiculed for saying the same thing several months ago.

»I love Google and most of its projects but even I

again -- i will put my money where my mouth is if this project actually comes to fruition. still not holding out for anything more than pr.

q.

alchav
join:2002-05-17
Saint George, UT

alchav

Member

The Fiber is out there already!

All Google has to do is tie their Fiber Network to yours. So the way I see it the plan is very simple. Cities and Communities run their own Fiber, and then bring in Content Fiber Providers like Google on T3's.
legacyABQ
join:2010-07-08
Albuquerque, NM

legacyABQ

Member

So fast? No. Mostly Slow. Heh.

This is ridiculous.

I live 2 blocks from a major university and international airport, yet I cant get better then 760 kb/s DSL.

And they talk about Gb/s ???

Dont make me laugh.

The "3G" networks barely function as it is unless you live in downtown NY or LA or Dallas!!

DaneJasper
Sonic.Net
Premium Member
join:2001-08-20
Santa Rosa, CA

DaneJasper

Premium Member

Micro-trenching

Goog's put a video of their micro-trenching race up on YouTube. We've also been testing micro-trenching here: »corp.sonic.net/ceo/2010/ ··· nic-net/

Exciting times!

-Dane