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Google Fiber's Wireless Internet Service Is Leaving Boston (theverge.com)
Webpass, the wireless home broadband company that Google Fiber acquired in 2016, is exiting the Boston market. The Verge received a reader tip on the situation and a quick look around revealed that Boston is no longer listed as a current Webpass market on the company's website. From the report: "As with any acquisition, we've spent some time evaluating the Webpass business. As a result of our analysis, we've made the decision to wind down Webpass operations in Boston," an Access spokesperson said by email. "We'll work with customers and partners to minimize disruption, and there will be no immediate impacts to their Webpass service. We continue to see strong subscriber response across the rest of the Webpass portfolio, including successful launches in Denver and Seattle in 2017."
Before this move, Boston was one of 8 cities served by Webpass, which delivers up-to-gigabit internet speeds for residential and commercial buildings by using point to point wireless. That number has dropped to 7, and old Google search results for Webpass service in Massachusetts now redirect to the main homepage. Webpass internet service is available exclusively in apartment units and condo buildings. It originally came to Boston in 2015 and the company has (or at least had) an office in the city.
Before this move, Boston was one of 8 cities served by Webpass, which delivers up-to-gigabit internet speeds for residential and commercial buildings by using point to point wireless. That number has dropped to 7, and old Google search results for Webpass service in Massachusetts now redirect to the main homepage. Webpass internet service is available exclusively in apartment units and condo buildings. It originally came to Boston in 2015 and the company has (or at least had) an office in the city.
Seriously, this is one company that is following right in the footsteps of yahoo, IBM, HP, etc. They had TOP notch ppl and now have a fucking worthless POS CEO that is busy gutting them. Within 2 years, it will be apparent that Google has not only lost the top edge, but will not have ANY chance of regaining it.
In fact, as I pointed out before, the VC should be going inside of Google and gutting them by funding good ideas. There are still ppl there with good ideas that are leaving now, and should be used on start-ups instead.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
[THIS finally made me create an account after many years of lurking]
I doubt anyone paid off Google since they have enough cash to buy a telco.
No, this is the problem with so-called "fast innovators". Infrastructure is a long con, played out over 30 years, and companies like Google can't see that far out. Like Google Fiber, which has stalled outright, Webpass requires significant infrastructure outlay for growth and that infrastructure requires significant expense in man-hours to get permits, space leased and palms greased before the first foot of cable can be unspooled at a site.
ILECs and franchised operators have 40+ years (100+ in some cases) dealing with government entities, property owners and suppliers and have built institutional organs that know how to deal with those animals. It's actually not too hard to build communications infrastructure anymore and the telco resistance to muni-chartered systems is proof of that. It's not the cost of the hardware and installation that's the barrier to entry any more, it's the jurisdictional processes (ROW access, easements, etc. etc.) that kill infrastructure innovation. Google, with all its brainy puzzle-solvers and with all its peeking into billions of lives, can't seem to crack the nut that is your local cigar-chomping county commissioner and the planning board he sits on. It's like they're scared to get into political knife-fights. Too bad; that's the way infrastructure in the US has always been built forever. You think the Interstate system doesn't have a little graft and blackmail on its ledger?
and that infrastructure requires significant expense in man-hours to get permits, space leased and palms greased before the first foot of cable can be unspooled at a site.
All it takes is the building owner giving them an access agreement and sign a contract for service. It can't get much easier than that. For fewer than 30 units every unit gets service and the owner gets one bill -- pretty cheap for accounting.
it's the jurisdictional processes (ROW access, easements, etc. etc.)
There is no ROW or easement issue. The owner of the building says "ok". What rights-of-way do you think are involved?
can't seem to crack the nut that is your local cigar-chomping county commissioner and the planning board he sits on.
They were already in business in Boston. It seems they had "cracked" the planning board and county commissioner, even with what little authority they had to stop Google from installing hardware in a private building.
What I wonder is why nobody is flaming google for their stupid excuse for not providing service to single-family homes. "It wouldn't be economical for the consumer". What? It's $60/month for gigabit internet service. That's cheap. Why wouldn't it be economical for someone to have that service? Hidden fees and taxes? What? Compared to Comcast 100Mbps it's absolutely marvelous pricing.
Gotta love an AC complaining about a well-known user's "fake name". Pot, meet kettle.