Google Fiber
Encyclopedia
Google Fiber is a project to build an experimental broadband internet network in Kansas City, Kansas
and Kansas City, Missouri
, following a selection process. Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the technology.
Google announced on March 30, 2011 that Kansas City, Kansas will be the first community where the experimental network would be deployed. On May 17, 2011, Google announced that the service would be expanded to include the Kansas City, Missouri metro area. The service is expected to be functional in early 2012.
have. Despite the advertising
claims of internet service provider
s, the average download speed in the United States is only about 4 megabits per second
.
The request form was simple, and, some have argued, too straightforward. This led to various attention-getting behaviors by those hoping to have their town selected.
Some examples are given below:
Municipalities and citizens have also uploaded YouTube
videos to support their bids. Some examples:
in Palo Alto, California
.
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
and Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, following a selection process. Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the technology.
Google announced on March 30, 2011 that Kansas City, Kansas will be the first community where the experimental network would be deployed. On May 17, 2011, Google announced that the service would be expanded to include the Kansas City, Missouri metro area. The service is expected to be functional in early 2012.
Cost
It has been estimated that Google will need to pay $3,000 to $8,000 per home broadband connection, totaling anywhere from $60 million up to $1.6 billion USD. Google Fiber will be provided "at a competitive price" to the citizens of Kansas City.Technical specifications
Google Fiber will provide connections at around 1 gigabit per second, which is about 100 times faster access than most AmericansInternet in the United States
The Internet in the United States grew out of the ARPANET, a network sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense during the 1960s...
have. Despite the advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
claims of internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s, the average download speed in the United States is only about 4 megabits per second
Data rate units
In telecommunications, bit rate or data transfer rate is the average number of bits, characters, or blocks per unit time passing between equipment in a data transmission system. This is typically measured in multiples of the unit bit per second or byte per second.- Avoiding confusion :To be as...
.
Locations
- Kansas City, KansasKansas City, KansasKansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
- On March 30, 2011, KCK was selected from over 1,100 applicants to be the first Google Fiber community.
- Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
- Seventeen days after the initial announcement regarding KCK, Google announced the decision to include Kansas City, Missouri, thus including the entirety of Kansas City.The network is expected to become available to residents in early 2012.
Selection process
Google originally stated that they would announce the winner or winners by the end of 2010; however, in mid-December, Google pushed back the announcement date of the selected Google Fiber community (or communities) to "early 2011" due to an increase in the time necessary to review all of the over 1,100 applications.The request form was simple, and, some have argued, too straightforward. This led to various attention-getting behaviors by those hoping to have their town selected.
Some examples are given below:
- Baton Rouge supporters remade the song "Give a Little Bit" by Roger HodgsonRoger HodgsonCharles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
to "Give a GigabitGigabitThe gigabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix giga is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 109 , and therefore...
". - Greenville, South Carolina utilized 1000 of their citizens and glow sticks to create "The World's First and Largest People-Powered Google Chain." From an aerial view, the title "Google" was colorfully visible.
- Topeka, Kansas temporarily renamed itself "Google"
- A small plane bearing a banner reading “Will Google Play in Peoria, IL?Will it play in Peoria?The saying, "Will it play in Peoria?" is traditionally used to ask whether a given product, person, promotional theme, or event will appeal to mainstream America, or across a broad range of demographic and psychographic groups....
” flew over the Google campus in Mountain View, CaliforniaMountain View, California-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
. - One of the islands in Sarasota, FloridaSarasota, FloridaSarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
was temporarily renamed "Google Island".
Municipalities and citizens have also uploaded YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos to support their bids. Some examples:
- A YouTube video in support of Sarasota, Florida used the Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
song Don't Worry, Be HappyDon't Worry, Be Happy"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. On the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 2 during its fifth week on the chart...
, which Warner Music GroupWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
does not allow to appear in user-uploaded videos. A video for Sarasota was uploaded through FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
’s video service. Duluth's mayor jokingly proclaimed that every first-born childBirth orderBirth order is defined as a person's rank by age among his or her siblings. Birth order is often believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development...
will be named either Google Fiber or Googlette Fiber. The city of Rancho Cucamonga, CaliforniaRancho Cucamonga, CaliforniaRancho Cucamonga is a suburban city in San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,269, up from 127,743 at the 2000 census. L. Dennis Michael was elected as Mayor on November 2, 2010. Jack Lam is the City Manager...
dubbed their city, "Rancho Googlemonga". - Comedian and United States Senator Al FrankenAl FrankenAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
made a YouTube video to support Duluth, Minnesota's bid. - Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
has its own YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel featuring a David Letterman-style Top Ten list delivered by town VIPs such as Mayor John HieftjeJohn HieftjeJohn Hieftje is the mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hieftje began his political career in 1999, when he was elected to the city council for Ann Arbor's 1st Ward as a Democrat. He was first elected to the post of Mayor in 2000, and was re-elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010...
and University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
President Mary Sue Coleman. Ann Arbor also held a city-wide GoogleFest, kicking off with a gathering of hundreds of participants dancing and chanting "Ann Arbor Google Fiber, ain't Nothing any finer."
Trial near Stanford
In summer 2011 Google launched free trial of its forthcoming fiber service in one residential community near Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
.
See also
- Digital divideDigital divideThe Digital Divide refers to inequalities between individuals, households, business, and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels in access to information and communication technologies and Internet connectivity and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information...
- Internet access worldwide
- List of countries by number of broadband Internet users
- National broadband plans from around the worldNational broadband plans from around the worldBroadband is a term normally considered to be synonymous with a high-speed connection to the internet. The term itself is technology neutral; broadband can be delived by a range of technologies including DSL, LTE or next generation access. This page presents an overview of official Government...
- Communications in the United StatesCommunications in the United StatesThe primary regulator of communications in the United States is the Federal Communications Commission. It closely regulates all of the industries mentioned below with the exception of newspapers and the Internet service provider industry.- Press :...
- Internet in the United StatesInternet in the United StatesThe Internet in the United States grew out of the ARPANET, a network sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense during the 1960s...