What is Google Fiber for Communities?
Did you know? Internet download
speeds in the US lag behind 27 other countries including South Korea,
Japan, Sweden, Netherlands, and Germany. [Source]
Studies have shown that high
speed connectivity is correlated with job growth and job retention
which means Albuquerque, like most American cities struggling with
economic recession, is losing out. [Source]
To kickstart the development of
ultra high speed internet in the US (100x faster than it is currently),
Google is offering to build a high speed fiber backbone for one or
even a few communities in America. Google would pay to build the
backbone and then offer competitively-priced high speed service to
residents and businesses in the area. It’s an experiment in which
Google is intending to try new build-out techniques with rapid
turnaround in order to stimulate economic development and stimulate
competition in the broadband market, at
no cost to local taxpayers.
Analysts
estimate this represents
an investment on Google’s part of anywhere from $60 million to $1.6
billion, depending on the size of the city they select. When was the
last time someone invested that much in Albuquerque?
Learn more about the Google
Fiber for Communities project.
An update from Google is posted at their blog: Next steps for our experimental fiber network
Another quick update from Google shares an overview of participation across the US: Google Fiber for Communities: Next Steps
Why does this
matter to Albuquerque?
- OPPORTUNITY: Ultra high speed internet will
benefit Albuquerque by boosting services offered at area hospitals,
connecting classrooms at APS, CNM, andUNM, and enabling
the connectivity needed for our burgeoning film industry. And that’s
just the beginning. Think about what YOU could
make/build/accomplish if the internet was 100x faster than it is
today.
- REPUTATION FOR INNOVATION: All eyes will be watching the
city selected to innovate with Google. You and I already know that
Albuquerque is a rising star and a seat of innovation, but to sustain
smart growth and high-paying jobs, we need the rest of the world to know
this too.
- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Where Google goes, others will
follow. If some of the best minds in the world at Google believe
Albuquerque is business-friendly, companies that haven’t looked twice at
our region will be forced to reconsider. Furthermore, studies estimate
that New Mexico stands to gain or retain 13,000 jobs through increased
access to broadband. [Source]
- COMPETITION: Most communities have only one, if
any, telecommunications company willing to foot the bill for the
infrastructure needed to build ultra high-speed internet access. Sadly,
this is likely to mean a lack of competition when it comes to pricing
and services for residents like us. Allowing Google to build in our
community is simply good-old-fashioned American market economics.
- OPENNESS: Google
intends to provide “open access networks.” This means that our local
ISPs and content providers will enjoy a competitive and open market
rather than one regulated by cable or telco companies. According the
U.S. FCC,
open access encourages healthy competition. [Source]
How you can help
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Attachments (2)
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GoogleforAlbuquerque.pdf - on Mar 19, 2010 6:42 AM by Eric Renz-Whitmore (version 1)
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abqpopulationdensity.pdf - on Mar 25, 2010 11:24 AM by Chantal Foster (version 1)
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