Google Fiber Delays Broadband Award To 2011 90
coondoggie writes "The response to the invitation to become a test market for Google's planned high-speed broadband network has been overwhelming, so much so the company today said it would delay awarding the system until 2011. According to a post in its website, Google said 1,100 communities and 194,000 individuals responded to its proposal. Google had hoped to award the test program this month."
Re:idea (Score:4, Informative)
Broadband didn't kill the small and medium ISPs. Regulatory changes requested by the telecoms killed the small and medium ISPs. Ask anyone who worked at one of those ISPs, they'll tell you exactly which rule changes shut them down.
Re:The Google way... (Score:4, Informative)
No, I remember something that's kind of like that, except for the fact that they did follow through and give out the $10 million dollars, split among several projects.
Yes, in that it received a huge response beyond what Google expected, it was exactly like this. Sometimes, Google doesn't realize how popular Google's ideas will be. I'm sure many other businesses wish they could have that "problem" with their initiatives.
This project isn't about a charitable act. This project is about seeking a place to do a demonstration project aimed at improving the market conditions for Google's products. Its looking for an opportunity to shift the market for internet connectivity by exerting pressure the same way Google has on the browser market with Chrome, and the handheld device OS market with Android.
It may be win-win with the community (or communities) selected to be part of the demonstration, but its not charitable in any sense.
Re:The Google way... (Score:2, Informative)
I think it's that way so a person can't write a good post, get modded up, and then put shockimage links into it afterwards. Refunding mod points is an option but after how long? Could sockpuppets mod themselves up and a few days later edit posts to get their points back?
I actually like the no-editing thing but damn does it attract spelling/grammer nazi's.
Sorry, i know this post is O/T.
Re:idea (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry, no your wrong. I work for an ISP and I know exactly what the GP was referring to. The removal DSL from the list of tariffed products (the list that sets price for wholesale telco products) is what killed small/medium ISPs. The national dialup pools had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Before the rule changes, any mom-n-pop ISP (which could be 20,000 subscribers) could sell DSL internet to a customer for the DSL-line tariff charge + ISP charge (the same tariff charge as the telco charged its direct customers). The only difference between ISP A, ISP B, and the telco monopoly ISP was the ISP charge and the customer services provided by each.
After the tariff change, the local telco monopoly now charges much more for the DSL line charge to a third party alone than it does for its own complete bundled service. As an example... Qwest now charges $33/mon for a bare-naked DSL line serviced by a third party ISP. Add in $20/mon for the ISP charge. Qwest's own DSL package price is $29.95, less the line cost itself.
Remember, this is just the price difference in the last-mile DSL circuit. The mom-n-pop ISP also pays the telco for dedicated high-bandwidth circuits to every CO DSLAM to pickup the aggregate circuits (typically). How does a local mom-n-pop ISP (often with far better customer service) compete when the base price of the DSL circuit (without service) is more than the incumbent monopoly package price?