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Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

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Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#61

Post by wil421 »

winslow wrote: post #38
wil421 wrote: post #30

Can any Google fiber user tell us how the TV offerings differ from Comcast/Uverse/TWC/Direct TV? Do they include local channels and other channels I've come to expect? What is missing from Google TV?

Here is the TV lineup for Kansas city Google fiber customers. Looks like they have all the local and traditional channels. Then add-ons like HBO for $20/month. https://fiber.google.com/cities/kansascity/channels/

Seems slightly more expensive than the Comcast/Uverse packages I've had but with much much more bandwidth (not that I am capping out my 45mbs right now).

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#62

Post by avn2109 »

slowmovintarget wrote: post #5

>> It’s been nearly five years since we offered to build a fiber-optic network in one U.S. city as an experiment — and were met with overwhelming enthusiasm. I suspect the enthusiasm had to do with Google not acting like a phone/cable company. My own hope is that this remains true, and that they come to the Boston area.

Excavation projects are famously successful in Boston, so the Google Fiber people are probably chomping at the bit to get their shovels in Beantown dirt.

But seriously, your hypothesis about GF's non-evil fundamental DNA is a good one. It makes for a much better user experience.

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#64

Post by davidcgl »

evanm wrote: post #54

I'm fully aware of the extreme cost of rolling out a fiber infrastructure in new locations, but I still wonder why Google isn't more aggressive with their expansion. While the upfront costs are great, they more or less have guaranteed success in most major cities. Nobody likes the incumbent telcos--they're hated all over the US. I just dream of a world in which we aren't getting raped by Comcast, TWC, and Cox. They a…

One probable reason is the regulatory hoops they need to jump through to rent/build the infrastructure and roll out the service.

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#65

Post by Animats »

evanm wrote: post #54

I'm fully aware of the extreme cost of rolling out a fiber infrastructure in new locations, but I still wonder why Google isn't more aggressive with their expansion. While the upfront costs are great, they more or less have guaranteed success in most major cities. Nobody likes the incumbent telcos--they're hated all over the US. I just dream of a world in which we aren't getting raped by Comcast, TWC, and Cox. They a…

It's more a publicity stunt than a business. Google has been per-announcing Google Fiber for five years now, and they've only installed it in parts of three small cities.

They previously tried "free" ("must have Google Account") city-wide WiFi in Mountain View. That lasted from 2009 to 2014 and was shut down on May 3, 2014.

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#66

Post by elif »

freeasinfree wrote: post #47

Great for competition now, sure, but once copper and coax become obsolete Google becomes the new incumbent monopoly. How is that good for anyone?

I believe that in amsterdam, even though you only have 1 fiber line running to your house, you can choose from many ISPs over that line. Since (I assume) google is not installing an entirely new fiber network, but merely buying fiber rights and doing last-mile construction, it seems like that would also be a reasonable framework to establish here.

I'm not saying it would be easy. It would take a lot of legal work. But if google's missions to not be evil, and disrupt the ISP market are to believed, they could make it easier.

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#67

Post by specialp »

evanm wrote: post #54

I'm fully aware of the extreme cost of rolling out a fiber infrastructure in new locations, but I still wonder why Google isn't more aggressive with their expansion. While the upfront costs are great, they more or less have guaranteed success in most major cities. Nobody likes the incumbent telcos--they're hated all over the US. I just dream of a world in which we aren't getting raped by Comcast, TWC, and Cox. They a…

Google does not want to be in the telco business at all, it just has to be to protect the source of its revenue which is people connecting to them via some ISP. They are purposely building out in cheap to build areas. If they started hooking up rural areas and areas with high land values and labor it would be a very expensive exercise. What Google is trying to do is get into enough homes as cheaply as possible to light a fire under other telco companies without actually having to build out the whole country.

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#69

Post by janesvilleseo »

rkalla wrote: post #51
aesthetics1 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saw the same thing from Comcast in a very rural area - doubled speeds for free with higher tiers available. Went from 50 to 100. I think we are finally seeing some change.

Funny you mention 'rural area' -- my in-laws all live in the wooded section of Troy, IL... total population is like 1,000 people. Anyway, they have Charter cable over there - and for the last decade they have been asking me about 'Getting Netflix' - but with a maximum download speed of 3mbps I kept telling them "It's just not going to work well for you..." 2 months ago Charter bumped them from 3mbps to 50mbps. My fir…

My thoughts too. However, I live in a Charter serviced area and when doing my research when switching from ATT, I noticed they only offer 1 speed. There are no tiers. 1 speed, 1 price

Also, I just looked up a price quote for Troy (near city hall) and noticed they indicate their speeds start at 100Mbps for 39.99. Granted you said they live out farther, but they may be able to get more.

My wife's internet at her studio was recently doubled, but only after we called. They said they needed to see if her modem was "too old". It wasn't and they doubled it on the spot. She has a business account for that one.

Re: Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham

#70

Post by mhurron »

stonemetal wrote: post #36
evo_9 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that reality one wonder why the incumbents don't raise all their speeds to dissuade google from entering there various markets. Perhaps the shear magnitude of their collective greed obscures their reasoning?

Fighting back isn't free. They have to upgrade infrastructure, and send out new modems. This means they are only going to fight if they have to.

And other than in a few neighborhoods, they don't have to.

10 minutes north of Durham, ya, I'm sure Time Warner will feel the need to 'fight' there, let alone all the neighborhoods in Durham that won't get Google Fiber.

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