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Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

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Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#101

Post by JonathonW »

Balvarez wrote: post #61
yingw787 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do think the significance of this is cities realizing there is no Disney prince riding in on a white horse to save them, and taking their own futures into their own hands. I'm hoping there's enough "anchor cities/regions", like Nashville/RTP/Kansas City, that have contingency plans and referendums ready for an infrastructure push at the local level if Fiber pulls out there, to prevent all white-collar talent from d…

Sadly I don't see Nashville creating a municipal ISP. Google fiber has been such a disappointment here. It's only available to a very small area.

Even if there were the (local) political will for municipal fiber in Nashville, it would get blocked at the state level-- too many state politicians in AT&T and Comcast's pockets.

Same thing happened when EPB tried to expand their fiber network in the Chattanooga area.

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#102

Post by ianai »

ilovecaching wrote: post #98

Let’s not forget that the real issue here is that American ISPs are a complete monopoly by Comcast and AT&T, companies made of pure greed. Small end sub ISPs have to claw for every strand of dark fiber. Google really shouldn’t be the answer though. We need to demand that politicians address the issue in the upcoming election before they start looking at the Silicon Valley giants.

Probably the mayors in the lineup would be most aware of this need.

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#103

Post by AnthonyMouse »

subway wrote: post #87
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "wireless competing with broadband" thing is mostly ISPs trying to claim that the two services compete with each other in order to claim that they have more competitors than they do. Wireless is slower, has higher latency, is less reliable (interference/obstructions), etc. But you can put in one tower and service every customer for miles under those conditions, which is much cheaper than wiring every building. It…

Wireless is slower, has higher latency, is less reliable This all varies based on the wireless tech used. My apartment in Seattle is serviced via point to point wireless with another building across the neighborhood. Currently I see under 2ms RTT to google.com, and can max out the 100mbit port on my router both up and down. (Gigabit is available, but requires an account with WaveG. 100mbit is free with my rent, and o…

You're describing the thing that requires you to have many towers each serving a small number of users.

Moreover, the reliability you get has a lot to do with what happens in your neighborhood. Point to point wireless is great until somebody builds a new building in the path between you and the other wireless device.

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#104

Post by greedo »

My city negotiated a fiber contract with Allo that was very favorable to the city. Allo basically provides free internet to municipal buildings for the right to sell fiber to residential areas. The entire city is almost covered (300K people), and rates are very affordable ($90/month for 1gig symmetrical). Allo also sells tv and phone service as well. I've been extremely happy. Allo provided the CPE at no cost, doesn't require a contract, and has support people who seem to be close to the metal.

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#105

Post by greedo »

walrus01 wrote: post #82
jrockway wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google gave up on fiber and this is the version that is running on fumes. I worked on Google Fiber until early 2017. I was informed that it was cancelled and that I had to find another team. I did, and didn't like the new team, so I quit. Many of my coworkers on Fiber did the same. Of the people I've remained in contact with, exactly zero of them currently work on Fiber. I now work at a different fiber ISP. The indus…

Industry perspective here. I work for an ISP that does gigabit class last mile residential access. Google gave up because they couldn't make the ROI numbers work. I doubt whether it was ever intended to be economically viable. It was a PR stunt. You simply can't promise gigabit class last mile service to every residence in a city, and actually build it with a reasonable dollar-per-house cost, and make a return on inv…

Lincoln Nebraska has done it. Google Allo...

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#106

Post by walrus01 »

greedo wrote: post #105
walrus01 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Industry perspective here. I work for an ISP that does gigabit class last mile residential access. Google gave up because they couldn't make the ROI numbers work. I doubt whether it was ever intended to be economically viable. It was a PR stunt. You simply can't promise gigabit class last mile service to every residence in a city, and actually build it with a reasonable dollar-per-house cost, and make a return on inv…

Lincoln Nebraska has done it. Google Allo...

Lincoln, NE is near 99% aerial ftth. The economics for aerial pole/strand based ftth are very different than if you need to start trenching, boring, directional drilling and doing things underground.

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#107

Post by Mr_Shiba »

AareyBaba wrote: post #27
vb6lives wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They tried to lay fiber in 2in trenches instead of typical 6in trenches. Then left when it didn't work. This isn't Goliath beating David. This is David throwing a rock, missing, and going home.

Is there any technical analysis or reports available online on why the trenches didn't work ? I've always wondered if we could use our network of roads to bring internet to the doorstep by laying lines just below the road surface.

> technical analysis

Probably not, but common sense should be enough. It is 2 inches, on a road...

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#108

Post by robocat »

DanHulton wrote: post #42
paxys wrote: post #6

The failure of Google Fiber paints a very bleak picture of the future of internet infrastructure, or even all communication in this country. If Google cannot compete with the status quo, who can?

I mean, this is almost exactly the kind of massive public project that the government is there for.

NZ has done this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-Fast_Broadband

Covering 87% of the population by the end of 2022. It is a public–private partnership of the government with four companies with total government investment of [USD 1 billion].

It was rolled out below budget. Then again, look at Australia trying to do the same thing, and failing (incumbent telco and govt), which might be more similar to what would happen in the US.

Size, geography, and population of NZ is somewhat similar to Oregon, if that helps. As written by someone from Oregon: "When it comes to Oregon and New Zealand, there are similarities galore. Both have a largish city in the north corner. Both have around 4 million in population. And the square mileage of their land masses differ by only 5000 (98000 and 103,000, respectively). The scenery is spectacular. Micro-breweries are aplenty. And Kiwis “get” coffee. They really do. In other words, I feel at home here."

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#109

Post by BubRoss »

yingw787 wrote: post #37
yingw787 wrote: post #25

When I interned at AT&T a few years ago, I asked a manager I respected whether they were worried about Google Fiber coming in and eating their lunch. "No", he said. "We'll sue them for every mile of fiber they lay down". I can understand why they would make that play. It's kind of the only play they have. AT&T and Verizon innovate enough to remain...okay...but they're not exactly Google. The only way they would win i…

I do think the significance of this is cities realizing there is no Disney prince riding in on a white horse to save them, and taking their own futures into their own hands. I'm hoping there's enough "anchor cities/regions", like Nashville/RTP/Kansas City, that have contingency plans and referendums ready for an infrastructure push at the local level if Fiber pulls out there, to prevent all white-collar talent from d…

There are spots in Kansas City, MO where you can get gigabit fiber from three different providers.

Re: Visible signs left after Google Fiber abandons Louisville

#110

Post by EpicEng »

jly wrote: post #77

I'm a happy Google Fiber customer (Austin), and my neighborhood was deep-trenched. The results have been excellent, with near-zero reliability issues and a clean look on the street. Unfortunately, not everyone is having the same experience. The perception here is that they are operating a shell of what the previous ambitions were. Service has been active in my area for close to 3 years now, but I have neighbors who h…

Same here in the burbs. Would love me some fiber, but it's never going to happen.
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