The Federal Communications Commission is proposing an ambitious 10-year plan that will reimagine the nation's media and technology priorities by establishing high-speed Internet as the country’s dominant communication network...

...Mr. Genachowski observed that the country could build state-of-the-art computers and applications, but without equivalent broadband wiring, "it would be like having the technology for great electric cars, but terrible roads."

Wouldn't it be be nice to have somebody build the local roads for us, in a way that put GSO in the spotlight as a city with great infrastructure and great interest in this new economy?

Somebody please tell Bill Knight and Skip Alston that this Google thing is kind of important.

Comments

[Lex]

Bill is too busy recording robocalls for John Faircloth.

[triadwatch]

Front page nando today on google, here is a small segment"they are being google also trying to set an agenda in advance of a national broadband plan that is part of the federal government's economic recovery plan" . Ever since they announced this application process something seemed fishy with the timeframe and now we see why.

[Roch101]

Can you give a little more for us morons? Like the rest of the poorly constructed sentence or a link, something so we can be as convinced as you that there is something fishy?

[triadwatch]

I am on my blackberry not on computer. I am in raleigh today reading the local paper with main headline "area towns preen for google"

[Ed Cone]

TW, there's nothing remotely "fishy" about the timing. Anyone who follows broadband issues knows that the current FCC is -- wisely -- focused on getting America up to speed online. We all understand that GOOG is a business, not a charity -- it wants broadband to happen on a mass scale, and it's trying to make that happen in a number of ways, including the local effort.

[Roch101]

Yeah, I don't see it either, Keith. A company that would benefit from faster internet wants to hook up a city with really fast internet for free. Sure, skeptics like you and I will keep our wary eyes open, but fishy yet? I don't think so.

Here's the article.

[triadwatch]

Do you really think google is going to do this for free,think again.

[Ed Cone]

Google mentions the FCC plan explicitly in its project description, so there's not much of an aha! moment here.

And yes, all indications are that Google is going to pay to build the network.

If they don't, the company will get a huge black eye for leading much of the country down the garden path.

[Roch101]

There's a fine line between skeptic and cynic.

[triadwatch]

Let's wait and see who gets this project but I will bet you 2 roch and ed a dinner at natty's that this will cost the town or city who wins this and it will not be free.

[Ed Cone]

The winners may bear some associated costs, but Google seems to be saying it will build the network itself.

[Roch101]

Define costs and "not free." The service itself, Google has said all along they intend to charge for. It will require the time and cooperation of municipal staff. Traffic will be disrupted, there will probably be the occasional driven over flower bed, maybe even a run over cat or two. A city might even go so far as to waive some normal fees. Those are "costs."

Do you mean some costs beyond those?

[Jim Caserta]

Google plans to invest a large sum - between $100M and $500M to run fiber to many homes. Those homes would then pay market rates for the best internet service available, and possibly cable tv and phone thrown in. The multi-hundreds-of-millions would be real investment that would improve the city that gets it (compared with a Dell plan that other companies aren't lining up for. Even if Google drops this, another telco will step right up to provide service over the fiber). Google owns a lot of backbone network that is currently dark...running fiber to millions of homes will serve to light a lot of that fiber and prove Google's investment in that very, very wise.

Google's motives seem very clear to me. They want to increase Google's profits, but in that process, improve consumer's product choice and costs. "It is not the benevolence of the telecom provider that brings high speed internet to homes, but from the regard of their own interest." Isn't that the first commandment of capitalism?

[Ross Myers]

And yes, all indications are that Google is going to pay to build the network.

Can you point us to some specific indications for inference?

I have looked around and so far the only statements I have found from Google on its Initiative are from their original release.

Google plans to invest a large sum - between $100M and $500M to run fiber to many homes.

Has Google said that?

[Ross Myers]

BTW...good to see you Jim...thought we might be losing you now that W-S is considering throwing their hat in the ring.

[anonymous]

Well it looks like another battle between Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The Twin City is putting in a bid for Google monday. Historically Greensboro wins everything so If Google comes to the Triad, Greensboro will likely get it. We have generated more excitement than any city in the state and we certainly have better infrastructure than Winston-Salem. Mayor Allen Joines is green with envy, no pun intended ;) As soon as we built out ballpark they quickly got envious of us over there and rushed to build their own downtown ballpark. We built an urban loop now they are doing it. Everything Greensboro does, Winston-Salem has to copy us.

[Jim Caserta]

Regarding the W-S - GSO competition and the ballparks: GSO needed a new ballpark, while W-S wanted one. I went to minor league games in both Ernie Shore & WMS, and there were maybe 100 people at WMS relative to the 1000+ at Ernie Shore And, you know, the period from the Fall of 2008 to the Spring of 2009 was somewhat tumultuous in the financial world. GSO executed a flawless plan, while W-S's ballpark hit a couple major snags.

Ross - can you point to Google asking a city to pay for the network themselves? Google using the 'hundreds of millions' phrase The scale of Google's investment should not be a debated point now. A big reason people are excited is because of Google's massive cash stash being put to use in their town.

I understood opposition to the new ballpark in Winston, especially as the project required more public funds (but at that point it was better to double down and get something then let a half built shell sit until more private funding came in.) However, I never understood the opposition to the ballpark in GSO. It was private funds, and a new stadium was needed. I understood the WMS proponents wanting the renovation funds for WMS, but I did not see it as an either-or. I haven't been out there since last summer and hope some renovations got going over the winter. Getting private money in as real infrastructure investment seems like an easy choice to me.

So GSO gets Google, and 5 years later W-S build a municipal fiber network - overall a win-win.