moondoggy23
Well-Known Member
Google has ended it's pre-registration for it's Gigabit Fiber Internet Network in Kansas City not too long ago. An article on IGN.com discusses the plans being offered by Google for this service which are:
-Slower Internet connection for seven years with a $300 construction fee for free (meaning no monthly fees or anything like that after the $300)
-A 2 year contract for Gigabit Internet
-A TV service bundle offered by Google
Those last two packages being offered will have monthly service fees "competitvely priced with rival plans," and will also waive the $300 construction fee. Basically meaning you either get slower Internet (5Mbps download, 1Mbps upload, no data caps) for a one-time, flat fee of $300 (or $25/month for 12 months) for seven years, or you can get blazing fast service (1000Mb/s), pay a monthly subscription for a 2 year contract and not have to pay the $300. On top of all this, all schools, libraries, hospitals, and other public-funded buildings in "fully funded fiber-hoods" get free Gigabit Internet. Either way you slice it, signing up for Google's service in Kansas City seems like the smart move. As far as your wallet is concerned, what is listed above is what you pay.
Another thing the article linked above mentions is what Kansas City did to get Google to pick them as the starting point for this revolutionary service. There are a number on concessions made, which are guaranteed to Google and Google alone:
-Free power
-Free office space for Google employees (article does not specify whether it's just employees invovled in the Internet service, or ALL Google employees)
-Free marketing
-Expedited permits, et. al. with fees waived
-Free right-of-way easements (the ability to build anywhere without compensating for congestion or noise)
-The right to approve or reject statements made about Google Fiber by the city.
The point of all this that the article makes is that Kansas City has set quite a precedent to get Google's business for super-high-speed Internet, which it has not made for any other ISP, nor has any other city or state anywhere else made such concessions for any other ISP. Without coming out and saying it, the article is making a connection between Google and the government of Kansas City as colluding to grant preference to one business over others, which in lay terms would be corruption.
Granted, what Google is offering is something no other ISP can or will offer right now, and it is only a test market and not a launch of a service across the entire country, which would require permits, access, fees and contracts with multiple governments, including the federal government, for such an endeavor. The question remins however, what happens if this is a major success and Google wants to expand it's service? Will it expect other cities to offer similar guarantees, or will it venture forward and play by the same rules as other ISPs that currently exist?
-Slower Internet connection for seven years with a $300 construction fee for free (meaning no monthly fees or anything like that after the $300)
-A 2 year contract for Gigabit Internet
-A TV service bundle offered by Google
Those last two packages being offered will have monthly service fees "competitvely priced with rival plans," and will also waive the $300 construction fee. Basically meaning you either get slower Internet (5Mbps download, 1Mbps upload, no data caps) for a one-time, flat fee of $300 (or $25/month for 12 months) for seven years, or you can get blazing fast service (1000Mb/s), pay a monthly subscription for a 2 year contract and not have to pay the $300. On top of all this, all schools, libraries, hospitals, and other public-funded buildings in "fully funded fiber-hoods" get free Gigabit Internet. Either way you slice it, signing up for Google's service in Kansas City seems like the smart move. As far as your wallet is concerned, what is listed above is what you pay.
Another thing the article linked above mentions is what Kansas City did to get Google to pick them as the starting point for this revolutionary service. There are a number on concessions made, which are guaranteed to Google and Google alone:
-Free power
-Free office space for Google employees (article does not specify whether it's just employees invovled in the Internet service, or ALL Google employees)
-Free marketing
-Expedited permits, et. al. with fees waived
-Free right-of-way easements (the ability to build anywhere without compensating for congestion or noise)
-The right to approve or reject statements made about Google Fiber by the city.
The point of all this that the article makes is that Kansas City has set quite a precedent to get Google's business for super-high-speed Internet, which it has not made for any other ISP, nor has any other city or state anywhere else made such concessions for any other ISP. Without coming out and saying it, the article is making a connection between Google and the government of Kansas City as colluding to grant preference to one business over others, which in lay terms would be corruption.
Granted, what Google is offering is something no other ISP can or will offer right now, and it is only a test market and not a launch of a service across the entire country, which would require permits, access, fees and contracts with multiple governments, including the federal government, for such an endeavor. The question remins however, what happens if this is a major success and Google wants to expand it's service? Will it expect other cities to offer similar guarantees, or will it venture forward and play by the same rules as other ISPs that currently exist?
