Google Can Ditch Kansas City After Two Years > WOW! Just another Google Beta pgm - no support; walk away

WOW! Just another Google Beta pgm - no support; walk away

It's always been known this is an R&D experiment. Did anyone really naively think Google is fully committed to being an ISP? If Google decides not to be in the ISP biz, they'll probably just sell the KC network off to Surewest in KC, who already is an FTTH ISP in other areas of KC metro.

Edit: PS, I'm more than willing to beta test. Can easily go back to TWC or ATT. Surewest and Charter are also in KC metro.

reply to Linklist
at least Google even had the balls to push the limits rather than just sitting there never advancing anything. Sure its a beta, but even Verizon has not kept pushing FiOS because its investors have no balls.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports

Along those lines, Google may have done this specifically to have a bit of "history" when they do battle with ISPs that want to above-and-beyond-what-both-ends-pay, charge them for the use of their pipes. They can point to their experience with running FTTH and hopefully be the voice of reason when it comes to government lobbying.

I still recall Ed Whitacre's rant about the Googles of the world using his pipes and wanting a bigger piece of that action or else. It seems so similar to the organized crime payments mom and pop small businesses would make to the local Carlos, Joey, Vito or Tony that "protected" them from accidental fires.

reply to Linklist

reply to xenophon

reply to Kearnstd

reply to tshirt
It doesn't really matter to me personally if it flops. Can simply go back to TWC or ATT.

Most R&D is about taking risks with the possibility it may fail, and some aspects of it probably will and some things will be learned. Google needs to keep setting expectations that this is an experiment.

reply to tshirt
Interestingly nobody talks about the innovation of the "fiberhood". If a company is going to sink capital into a specific geography, it makes sense that the customer base is there to support a profit.

This gets around redlining, because the fibre nodes are there, it just boils down to do the people want the service.

This is a huge experiment, because GOOG is giving away internet for free, one just needs to pay for the equipment.

Part of this may be finding out more effective ways to get the word out, moving to a payment plan, etc to get higher uptake.

The point I am making is that old-skool franchises don't work because it's obvious if there is an area that doesn't want to pay, then why build. Above this, there is no reason if say an area wants 10% vs the fiberhood threshold that they can't devise some wireless way to cover the area, and then if enough people join, wire it.

I think it's brilliant. This is real disruption.

reply to xenophon

reply to xenophon
some people like to live in la-la land and think that anything that goes to market will be a success. I love it when companies take risks like this.

reply to tshirt
that's business.

What Google is doing is respectable. Seriously, props to them for being brave like this. Not like the money involved here will break them.

And that's it.
Google itself was an experiment, and has run hundreds of these employee inspired alpha , beta and dozens of outside tests, about 1 in 6 moves on, at least for a while.
They certainly can afford to invest in some internet service provider research which will no doubt net the most interesting and valuable thing on earth...Information.

whether this continues on or they dump it in a couple years the will learn something from it (and we can guess) but it's pretty early for pundits to start stamping it sucess or failure, or declaring it a model for all future providers/networks.

reply to elefante72
Another thing to consider
take a look at the map of Google fi in Mt view. (go ahead, google it)
notice the areas not covered (some mobile home parks, most areas with underground wiring (light poles are privately owned)
shopping centers, storage facilities, a few Apt. complexs. all places that won't sign away ROW (to avoid problems when the land use changes))
Google certain had the money to put up some high power directional AP's to cover the trailer parks throughly and probably most of the apt complexs, but instead choose a "you don't want use? you get nothing !" and carefully blocked of access to those properties.

Failure to generate a positive response could lead to longterm disadvantage to all those in a neighborhood, a fiber(less) slum.
while it appears googleFiber is intended to encourge EVERYONE to get a full connection and see where that leads, it could (maybe not in KC but if more buildouts happen) lead to have and have not areas.

reply to tshirt
local providers already do this. And the USDOE has ordered the state DOEs to create DASes to put in internet and other resources into schools. It saves $$$$ and brings in an outside non-profit to manage the IT department from ground up.

here is one of them that was created: www.noeca.org

reply to Rangersfan
especially when they're paying out the ass for install.

Hardly; it's only $300. That's obviously below cost unless everyone signs up, and it's a rather dense neighbourhood with short driveways.