Gigabit Cities: Google"s Advice to Hopefuls
After much fanfare and an aggressive marketing campaign in both Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO, Google Inc. announced plans to build another gigabit network in Austin, Texas.
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The Kansas City project started with an ambitious and creative marketing plan and competition to offer very high speed Internet service to the community with the most compelling presentation and value proposition.
With more than 1100 proposals from communities around the country, including creative public relation campaigns and publicity stunts, Kansas City ultimately won the honor, and Google has been connecting Kansas City residents to ultra fast fiber connections with speeds of 1 gigabit - 100 times the speed of a typical broadband connection. At the time of the Kansas City announcements, the company promised to continue working with other communities and start other projects.
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Google's fiber connections provide "open access," which means any carrier can use the company's connection to offer service at what Google calls "a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people." Much of the effort expended by Google to offer the high speed service is for discovering new and innovative ways to use 1Gbps speeds, including partnering with local organizations to develop innovative applications for initiatives such as telemedicine.
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In Kansas City, Internet service with a television package costs $120 a month with a two-year contract, which includes a Google Nexus 7 tablet. Google also offers an Internet option alone for $70 a month and a free Internet service at "today's average speeds." Google is providing free service to local schools, community centers, government buildings and libraries.
Google isn't your typical broadband service provider, and although the company undoubtedly would like to earn revenues to at least offset deployment costs, many analysts have speculated that that wasn't the primary goal. The huge Internet company's primary business is generated by use of the Internet, and faster speeds mean more extensive use. By building high-speed gigabit networks, the company is achieving two goals - stimulating innovation and research and development efforts in the cities where deployments are taking place, and more importantly nudging traditional broadband providers to deploy similar networks.
Companies like AT&T and Verizon haven't been shy about saying their respective companies would love to deploy similar networks - if municipalities would offer concessions like those offered to Google. In October 2013, Google Access Project Leader Kevin Lo offered specific advice to municipalities who are courting gigabit broadband providers. Speaking at the Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam, Lo listed three measures that municipalities could take to make gigabit broadband deployments more attractive to potential providers:
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• Access to power poles, ducts, and cable conduits: Once Google has figured out what it needs to use, "We agree to a fair-market price so we can get up to that space," Lo said.
• Provide good maps - not just the location of power poles and conduit channels, but also water mains and gas lines that can complicate installations. "We've been surprised how big a problem this is for a lot of our cities," Lo said.
• Expedite construction permits: "When we build, we are submitting literally tens of thousands of permits. We work closely with the city to expedite that process. These are the things that have been consuming our teams' time," Lo said.
Broadband Speed Table by Technology
The Kansas City project started with an ambitious and creative marketing plan and competition to offer very high speed Internet service to the community with the most compelling presentation and value proposition.
With more than 1100 proposals from communities around the country, including creative public relation campaigns and publicity stunts, Kansas City ultimately won the honor, and Google has been connecting Kansas City residents to ultra fast fiber connections with speeds of 1 gigabit - 100 times the speed of a typical broadband connection. At the time of the Kansas City announcements, the company promised to continue working with other communities and start other projects.
Verizon's Fiber Broadband Strategy: Company invests heavily in fiber in NYC and rural America
Google's fiber connections provide "open access," which means any carrier can use the company's connection to offer service at what Google calls "a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people." Much of the effort expended by Google to offer the high speed service is for discovering new and innovative ways to use 1Gbps speeds, including partnering with local organizations to develop innovative applications for initiatives such as telemedicine.
Maryland Completes Fiber Broadband Project with $115 million Federal Grant: Officials expect vast economic benefits from broadband network
In Kansas City, Internet service with a television package costs $120 a month with a two-year contract, which includes a Google Nexus 7 tablet. Google also offers an Internet option alone for $70 a month and a free Internet service at "today's average speeds." Google is providing free service to local schools, community centers, government buildings and libraries.
Google isn't your typical broadband service provider, and although the company undoubtedly would like to earn revenues to at least offset deployment costs, many analysts have speculated that that wasn't the primary goal. The huge Internet company's primary business is generated by use of the Internet, and faster speeds mean more extensive use. By building high-speed gigabit networks, the company is achieving two goals - stimulating innovation and research and development efforts in the cities where deployments are taking place, and more importantly nudging traditional broadband providers to deploy similar networks.
Companies like AT&T and Verizon haven't been shy about saying their respective companies would love to deploy similar networks - if municipalities would offer concessions like those offered to Google. In October 2013, Google Access Project Leader Kevin Lo offered specific advice to municipalities who are courting gigabit broadband providers. Speaking at the Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam, Lo listed three measures that municipalities could take to make gigabit broadband deployments more attractive to potential providers:
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• Access to power poles, ducts, and cable conduits: Once Google has figured out what it needs to use, "We agree to a fair-market price so we can get up to that space," Lo said.
• Provide good maps - not just the location of power poles and conduit channels, but also water mains and gas lines that can complicate installations. "We've been surprised how big a problem this is for a lot of our cities," Lo said.
• Expedite construction permits: "When we build, we are submitting literally tens of thousands of permits. We work closely with the city to expedite that process. These are the things that have been consuming our teams' time," Lo said.
