Google Fiber

Google Fiber
Area served Atlanta, Austin, Kansas City, Nashville, Provo, Salt Lake City, Highland Creek (Charlotte neighborhood)
Owner Google (2010–2015)
Alphabet Inc. (2015–present)
Industry Multiple-system operator
Products Broadband Internet
Cable television
VoIP telephone
Slogan(s) "A different kind of Internet and TV"
Website fiber.google.com
Launched February 10, 2010 (2010-02-10)
Current status Active

Google Fiber is part of the Access division of Alphabet Inc..[1] It provides fiber-to-the-premises service in the United States, providing broadband Internet and cable television to a small and slowly increasing number of locations.[2] In mid-2016, Google Fiber had 68,715 television subscribers and was estimated to have about 453,000 broadband customers.[3]

The service was first introduced to the Kansas City metropolitan area,[4] including 20 Kansas City area suburbs within the first 3 years. Initially proposed as an experimental project,[5] Google Fiber was announced as a viable business model on December 12, 2012, when Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt stated "It's actually not an experiment, we're actually running it as a business," at the New York Times' DealBook Conference.[6]

Google Fiber announced expansion to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, in April 2013, and subsequent expansions in 2014 and 2015 to Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh–Durham, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio.[7]

On August 10, 2015, Google announced its intention to restructure the company, moving less central services and products into a new umbrella corporation, Alphabet Inc. As part of this restructuring plan, Google Fiber would become a subsidiary of Alphabet, and may become part of the "Access and Energy" business unit.[8]

Services

A map of cities with Google Fiber (Salt Lake City, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham have now enabled Google Fiber)
Google Fiber Network Box

Google Fiber offers four options, depending on your location: a free Internet option, a 100 Mbit/s option, a 1 Gbit/s Internet option, and an option including television service (in addition to the 1 Gbit/s Internet). The Internet service includes one terabyte of Google Drive service; the television service includes a two terabyte DVR in addition to the Google Drive. The DVR can record up to eight live television shows simultaneously. In addition, television service will also stream live program content on iPad and Android tablet computers.

Google offers several different service plans to their customers:[9]

Plan Gigabit + TV Gigabit Internet Basic Internet
Internet bandwidth (download) 1 Gbit/s 1 Gbit/s 100 Mbit/s
Internet bandwidth (upload) 1 Gbit/s 1 Gbit/s 100 Mbit/s
TV service included yes no no
Construction Fee None None None
Monthly Recurring Cost $130-$140 $70 $50
Storage included 1 TB Google Drive
2 TB DVR
(8 tuners) 		1 TB Google Drive None
Hardware included Network box
TV box
TV remote control
8-tuner DVR 		Network box Network box

Google also offers free Google Fiber Internet connectivity in each of its markets to select public and affordable housing properties.[10]

Distribution

In order to avoid underground cabling complexity for the last mile, Google Fiber relies on aggregators dubbed Google Fiber Huts.

From these Google Fiber Huts, the fiber cables travel along utility poles into neighborhoods and homes, and stop at a Fiber Jack (an Optical Network Terminal or ONT) in each home.[11]

The estimated cost of wiring a fiber network like Google Fiber into a major American city is $1 billion.[12]

First city selection process

The initial location was chosen following a competitive selection process.[13] Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the service.[14] Google originally stated that they would announce the winner or winners by the end of 2010; however, in mid-December, Google pushed back the announcement to "early 2011" due to the number of applications.[15][16][17]

The request form was simple,[18] and, some have argued, too straightforward.[19] This led to various attention-getting behaviors by those hoping to have their town selected.[19] Some examples are given below:

Municipalities and citizens have also uploaded YouTube videos to support their bids. Some examples:

Operating locations

In 2011, Google launched a trial in a residential community of Palo Alto, California.[28] On March 30 of the same year, Kansas City, Kansas, was selected as the first city to receive Google Fiber.[4] In 2013, Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, were announced as expansion cities for Google Fiber on April 9 and 17 respectively.

Stanford University

Kansas City

Google Fiber goes to Kansas City

Google found that affluent neighborhoods in Kansas City signed up for the faster service while those in poorer neighborhoods did not sign up for even the free option. In response to this digital divide, Google sent a team of 60 employees to the under-served areas to promote the Google Fiber service. Additionally, Google offered micro-grants to community organizations that want to start up digital literacy programs in Kansas City.[29]

The following are chronological announcements of service in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Neighborhoods are said to be selected based on demand:[30]

Google placed deployment in Overland Park, Kansas, on indefinite hold in October 2013, following delays by the City Council over concerns about whether an indemnification clause that Google required might force the city to repair any damage caused by the project.[49] As of July 2014, Overland Park's City Council had voted on a deal that would allow for Google Fiber. Soon after, the city appeared on Google Fiber's website.[50]

Austin

Provo

San Antonio

Salt Lake City

On March 24, 2015, Google announced that Google Fiber would expand into Salt Lake City, Utah. Service became available for signup on August 24, 2016.[59]

Charlotte

On July 12, 2016, sign-ups opened in Highland Creek (Charlotte neighborhood).[60]

The Triangle (Raleigh-Durham)

On September 13, 2016, sign-ups opened in Morrisville.[61]

Announced future locations

Nashville, Raleigh, Durham, Atlanta, and California

On January 27, 2015, Google announced that Google Fiber would expand into four additional markets:

Huntsville

On February 22, 2016, Google announced that Google Fiber would expand into Huntsville, Alabama.[62]

Possible future expansion

2014

In February 2014, Google announced it had "invited cities in nine metro areas around the U.S.—34 cities altogether—to work with us to explore what it would take to bring them Google Fiber."[63]

The nine metropolitan areas are: Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Jose.[63] Of these, four have yet to be selected by Google for fiber deployments. This includes the following cities:[64]

On April 15, 2014, Google began polling business users on their need for gigabit service, that they would be "conducting a pilot program where we'll connect a limited number of small businesses to our network."[65]

2015

On September 10, 2015, Google tweeted[66] that it was exploring the possibility of adding Irvine, California, San Diego, California, and Louisville, Kentucky, as future expansion cities.

On October 28, 2015, Jill Szuchmacher, Google Fiber Director of Expansion, announced ongoing negotiations with local governments in Jacksonville, Florida, Tampa, Florida, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Szuchmacher stated that Google is interested in the installation of Google Fiber networks in each of the cities and that construction could take up to eighteen months once the project is underway.[67]

On December 8, 2015, the Seattle City Council's Director of Communications replied to a tweet indicating that the city is in the process of applying for Google Fiber service.

On December 8, 2015, Jill Szuchmacher said the company will work with Chicago city leaders to collect information and study factors that could affect construction of Google Fiber.[68]

2016

On June 14, 2016, Jill Szuchmacher said the company will work with Dallas and Mayor Mike Rawlings to try and bring another hub to the state of Texas.[69]

Acquisition of Webpass

Google Fiber bought Webpass on June 22, 2016. They are an Internet service provider that has been in business for 13 years and specializes in high-speed Internet for business and residential customers. They have a large presence in California and specifically the Bay Area as well as San Diego, Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Chicago, and Boston. The deal closed in October 2016.[70][71][72]

Technical specifications

Google Fiber provides an Internet connection speed of up to one gigabit per second (1,000 Mbit/s) for both download and upload[73] which is roughly 100 times faster access than what most Americans have.[9] Google Fiber says its service allows for the download of a full movie in less than two minutes.[74]

In order to use gigabit speeds as of 2013, devices would require support for Gigabit Ethernet and category 5e or greater cabling, or a 802.11ac compatible WiFi router and wireless adapter.[note 1][75]

Prohibition of servers

When first launched, Google Fiber's terms of service stated that its subscribers were not allowed to create any type of server: "Your Google Fiber account is for your use and the reasonable use of your guests. Unless you have a written agreement with Google Fiber permitting you do so, you should not host any type of server using your Google Fiber connection, use your Google Fiber account to provide a large number of people with Internet access, or use your Google Fiber account to provide commercial services to third parties (including, but not limited to, selling Internet access to third parties)."[76]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation criticized the practice, noting the ambiguity of the word "server" which might (or might not) include such common application protocols as BitTorrent, and Spotify, as well as the effect of and on IPv6 adoption due its lack of NAT technical limitations on network servers, but also noted similar prohibitions from other ISPs such as Comcast, Verizon, Cox, and AT&T.[77]

In October 2013, the acceptable use policy for Google Fiber was modified to allow "personal, non-commercial use of servers".[78][79]

April Fools' hoaxes

On April Fools' Day 2007, Google hosted a signup for Google TiSP offering "a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines."[80]

On April Fools' Day 2012, Google Fiber announced that their product was an edible Google Fiber bar instead of fiber-optic Internet broadband. It is stated that the Google Fiber bar delivers "what the body needs to sustain activity, energy, and productivity."[81]

On April Fools' Day 2013, Google Fiber announced the introduction of Google Fiber to the Pole. The description provided was "Google Fiber to the Pole provides ubiquitous gigabit connectivity to fiberhoods across Kansas City. This latest innovation in Google Fiber technology enables users to access Google Fiber's ultrafast gigabit speeds even when they are out and about." Clicking on the "Learn more" and "Find a pole near you" buttons displayed a message reading "April Fool’s! While Fiber Poles don’t exist, we are working on a bunch of cool stuff that does. Keep posted on all things Fiber by checking out our blog."[82]

The April Fools' Day 2014 prank was an announcement of Coffee To The Home, using a spout on the fiber jack where the service enters the customer's home to deliver customized coffee drinks.[83]

On April Fools' Day 2015, Google Fiber announced Dial-Up Mode for people who prefer slower Internet. It reaches speeds up to 56k and helps people get back to real life more often.[84]

For the 2016 April Fools' Day joke, Google Fiber announced it was "exploring 1 billion times faster speeds".[85]

Reactions

Time Magazine has claimed that rather than wanting to actually operate as an Internet service provider, the company was just hoping to shame the major cable operators into improving their service so that Google searches could be done faster. Google has neither confirmed nor denied this claim.[29]

According to a Goldman Sachs report, Google could connect approximately 830,000 homes a year at the cost of $1.25 billion a year, or a total of 7.5 million homes in nine years at a cost of slightly over $10 billion.[86]

In January 2014 a bill was introduced in the Kansas Legislature (Senate Bill 304, referred to as the "Municipal Communications Network and Private Telecommunications Investment Safeguards Act") which would prevent Google Fiber from expanding further in Kansas using the model used in Kansas City.[87][88] The bill proposes: "Except with regard to unserved areas, a municipality may not, directly or indirectly:

  1. Offer to provide to one or more subscribers, video, telecommunications or broadband service; or
  2. purchase, lease, construct, maintain or operate any facility for the purpose of enabling a private business or entity to offer, provide, carry, or deliver video, telecommunications or broadband service to one or more subscribers."

By February 2014, Senate Bill 304 (SB304) had lost momentum in the Kansas state senate, and the bill's sponsor, Kansas Cable Telecommunications Association (KCTA), indicated that it is highly unlikely that it will continue to pursue the legislation in the current legislative session.[89]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The 802.11a/b/g/n wireless protocols cannot achieve 1 gigabit speeds. The one exception, 802.11ac theoretically supports up to 1.3 Gbit/s (162.5 megabytes per second). However, as of 2013 commercially available 802.11ac devices achieve ≤0.5 Gbit/s under optimum conditions.

References

  1. ↑ Daisuke Wakabayashi (October 25, 2016). "Google Curbs Expansion of Fiber Optic Network, Cutting Jobs". New York Times.
  2. ↑ Helft, Miguel (2010-03-21). "Hoping for Gift From Google? Go Jump in the Lake". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ "Google Fiber 'Very Pleased' with TV Sign-Ups". Multichannel News. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  4. 1 2 3 "Ultra high-speed broadband is coming to Kansas City, Kansas". Google.com.
  5. ↑ "Google announces experimental FTTH network plans - Lightwave". Lightwaveonline.com. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  6. ↑ Copeland, Michael V. (2012-12-12). "Eric Schmidt Says Google Fiber Won't Stop With Kansas City". Wired.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  7. ↑ "Google Fiber plans service in San Antonio, its biggest city yet". Ars Technica. August 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Bergen, Mark (2015-11-30). "Meet Google Alphabet's Access and Energy Division". Vox Media.
  9. 1 2 "Service plans and pricing". Fiber Help. Google. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  10. ↑ "Bringing Internet access to public housing residents". Google. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". blogspot.com. 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  12. ↑ Bray, Hiawatha (2016-06-23). "Could Google's purchase of a wireless company boost Boston's Internet?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  13. ↑ Malik, Om (February 11, 2010). "How Much Will Google's Fiber Network Cost?". gigaOm.com.
  14. ↑ "More than 1,100 communities seek Google network". Associated Press. 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
  15. ↑ "Google Fiber for Communities". Google.
  16. ↑ Medin, Milo (2010-12-15). "An update on Google Fiber". Google.
  17. ↑ Anderson, Nate (2010-12-15). "Google delays its 1Gbit/s fiber announcement". Arstechnica.
  18. ↑ Google Fiber for Communities Archived December 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Van Buskirk, Eliot (March 11, 2010). "Al Franken Jokes, But Google Fiber Is No Laughing Matter". Wired Magazine.
  20. ↑ "Greenville Feels Lucky". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  21. ↑ Helft, Miguel (March 26, 2010). "Cities Rush to Woo Google Broadband Before Friday Deadline". New York Times blog.
  22. ↑ Silver, Curtis (March 10, 2010). "I, Google". Wired Magazine.
  23. ↑ Murphy, David (March 7, 2010). "The 5 Strangest City Pitches for Google's New Fiber-Optic Service". PC Magazine.
  24. ↑ "Al Franken YouTube video". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  25. ↑ "Ann Arbor YouTube channel". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  26. ↑ Ann Arbor GoogleFest
  27. ↑ Reed, Tina (March 26, 2010). "Ann Arbor 'mob' makes another case to attract Google Fiber". AnnArbor.com.
  28. 1 2 "Google Fiber Goes Live Near Stanford". anandtech.com. August 22, 2011.
  29. 1 2 Gustin, Sam (September 14, 2012). "Google Fiber Issues Public Challenge: Get Up To Speed!". Time. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  30. ↑ Google Gets Into the Cable TV Business, for Real, All Things Digital, July 26, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  32. ↑ "Google Fiber is coming to Olathe, Kansas". blogspot.com. 2013-03-19. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  33. 1 2 Farivar, Cyrus. "North Kansas City leases network to Google Fiber". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2013. North Kansas City will lease two paths of its LINKCity fiber-optic data network to Google Fiber. The City Council approved a 20-year agreement Tuesday worth $3.2 million
  34. ↑ Vockrodt, Steve (May 7, 2013). "Google Fiber bails out North Kansas City's fiber-optic misfire". The Pitch. Retrieved May 14, 2013. This doesn't mean we're delivering Google Fiber service to the city of North Kansas City," Google spokeswoman Jenna Wandres says. "It just means we're using their fiber as a pass-through to get to surrounding areas.
  35. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. May 2, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  36. ↑ Canon, Scott (May 3, 2013). "Raytown latest city promised Google Fiber". Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. May 13, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. May 22, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  41. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Prairie Village approves deal for Google Fiber", Jonathan Bender, Kansas City Star, August 5, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  43. ↑ "Leawood, Kansas Approves Fiber". Google Fiber Blog. Google. 19 August 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  44. ↑ http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/google-fiber-ended-contract-with-leawood-over-underground-utility-ordinance
  45. ↑ "Fiber for Merriam, Kansas". Google Fiber Blog. Google. August 26, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  46. ↑ "Rolling into Roeland Park, Kan.". Google Fiber Blog. Google. September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  47. 1 2 "Fiber's coming to Mission Hills and Fairway". Google Fiber Blog. Google. September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Bringing Fiber to Lenexa, Kan.". Google Fiber Blog. Google. September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  49. ↑ Canon, Scott; Bhargava, Jennifer (October 25, 2013). "Momentary stall in Overland Park puts Google Fiber on long hold". Kansas City Star. McClatchy. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Overland Park reaches deal to bring in Google Fiber". KMBC. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  51. ↑ "Google Fiber's next stop Austin Texas". blogspot.com. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  52. ↑ "Google Announces December Fiber Signups for South Austin". kut.org. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
  53. ↑ "Google Fiber goes live in Austin". Rapid TV News. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2014-12-03.
  54. ↑ "Google Fiber – On the Silicon Prairie, the Silicon Hills, and now the Silicon Slopes". Today the Google Fiber team is in Provo, Utah, where Mayor John Curtis just announced that we intend to make Provo our third Google Fiber City.
  55. ↑ "Asset Purchase Agreement" (PDF). THIS ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT... ...between Google Fiber Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Purchaser"), and Provo City Corporation, a Utah municipal corporation ("Seller").
  56. ↑ "Network Services Agreement" (PDF). ...terms and conditions upon which Google Fiber will provide high speed broadband Internet access services to the City and certain residents of Provo, free of charge.
  57. ↑ "Google Fiber Pricing Provo". Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  58. ↑ "Google Fiber is coming to San Antonio – Sign up for updates". fiber.google.com. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  59. ↑ Brodkin, Jon (24 August 2016). "Google Fiber hits Salt Lake City, now available in seven metro areas". Ars Technica. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  60. ↑ https://twitter.com/googlefiber/status/752868949730000900
  61. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/techflash/2016/09/its-here-where-google-fiber-is-starting-its.html
  62. ↑ "Google Fiber Blog". Googlefiberblog.blogspot.com. February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  63. 1 2 "Official Blog: Exploring new cities for Google Fiber". blogspot.com. February 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  64. ↑ "The future of Fiber". Google. February 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  65. ↑ "Google Fiber - Questionnaire for small business". Google. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  66. ↑ https://twitter.com/googlefiber/status/642033385620140032
  67. ↑ "Google Fiber begins negotiations to lay super-fast Internet network in Jacksonville". jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  68. ↑ Sky, Blue. "Google Fiber superfast Internet service may come to Chicago". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  69. ↑ http://googlefiberblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/exploring-dallas-for-google-fiber.html
  70. ↑ https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/22/google-fiber-is-buying-high-speed-internet-provider-webpass/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29
  71. ↑ https://webpass.net/blog/google-fiber-agrees-to-acquire-webpass
  72. ↑ Brodkin, Jon (3 October 2016). "Google Fiber is now a fiber and wireless ISP". Ars Technica. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  73. ↑ "Google Fiber". Fiber.google.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  74. ↑ "Google Wants To Expand Its Ultrafast Internet In USA". What is USA News. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  75. ↑ "Router Charts - 5 GHz Downlink". SmallNetBuilder. 2013-10-01. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
  76. ↑ Singel, Ryan (30 July 2013). "Now That It's in the Broadband Game, Google Flip-Flops on Network Neutrality". WIRED.
  77. ↑ Auerbach, Dan (12 August 2013). "Google Fiber Continues Awful ISP Tradition of Banning 'Servers'". Electronic Frontier Foundation.
  78. ↑ Fenley, John (15 October 2013). "Google Fiber has changed its terms of service...". GoogleProtest.com.
  79. ↑ Brodkin, Jon (15 October 2013). "Google Fiber now explicitly permits home servers". Ars Technica.
  80. ↑ Google (1 April 2007). "Welcome to Google TiSP". Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  81. ↑ Google (1 April 2012). "Introducing the Google Fiber Bar" (video). YouTube. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  82. ↑ Google Fiber (31 March 2013). "Google Fiber to the Pole" (video). YouTube. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  83. ↑ Google Fiber (1 April 2014). "Introducing Coffee to the Home" (video). YouTube. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  84. ↑ Google Fiber (April 1, 2015). "Introducing Dial-Up Mode" (video). YouTube. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  85. ↑ "Exploring 1 billion times faster speeds". Google Fiber Blog. April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  86. ↑ "Google Fiber Could Reach 8 Million Homes By 2022", Elise Ackerman, Forbes, June 14, 2013. Retrieved September 2013.
  87. ↑ "Senate Bill No. 304 : AN ACT enacting the municipal communications network and private telecommunications investment safeguards act" (PDF). Kslegislature.org\accessdate=2015-06-04.
  88. ↑ "Kansas To Nix Expansion of Google Fiber and Municipal Broadband - Slashdot". Tech.slashdot.org. 2014-01-31. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  89. ↑ "'It’s dead': Kansas municipal Internet ban was 'stabbed, shot, and hanged'", Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.

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