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Google Fiber Targets Chicago and Los Angeles (blogspot.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the they-don't-need-it,-come-to-my-home-town-instead dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google announced that they have invited Chicago and Los Angeles to investigate whether the company's Fiber internet service would work there. If it works out, they would be the biggest cities to incorporate Google Fiber yet. Chicago is home to 2.7 million people, and Los Angeles has almost 4 million. Google hastens to add that this is an exploratory process, and they might not be able to bring Fiber to these cities for a number of reasons, but they're hopeful that expansion can proceed.

2 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. In Chitown - piggyback off People's Gas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The public natural gas utility is on a multibillion pipeline replacement/upgrade project (converting from low to medium pressure in the process) for all the gas mains in the city.

    The irony is if your gas meter is in the house they'll run a new line to an outside relocation of the meter.

    This leaves the bare pipe running inside with no gas in it; perfect for a clean fiber run to a safe, dry location.

    Seems like a perfect opportunity to lay new fiber. Google should work with them to give customers a twofer.

  2. Re:Asking for permission to compete? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1, Informative

    You arguably have it backwards: given the amount of private property you need to obtain outright, or secure 'easements' to cross, in order to set up a wired network of municipal scale, building one in the context of property rights does involve asking nicely, convincing people of the benefits of allowing you the access you need, and so on.

    If you can just declare the People's Patriotic Fiber Plan and move in, then you don't have to do any of that.

    (That said, given the widespread existence of utility easements going back as far as water and sewer, and the abject awfulness of low-competition internet service markets, I'd be very, very, disappointed in any municipal or community organizations that don't do what they can to allow another entrant to share the various conduits and poles and such that are already in place for running utilities. Yes, the logistics are a pain; but being bled year after year by an incumbent monopolist is worse.)