5 ms·

Didn't Google try to disrupt the market with Fiber ?

darkpuma 8y ago
Considering the discrepancy between the resources available to Google and the results achieved, I think it's safe to say that was a half-hearted attempt at most. There is part of me that thinks the whole thing was a PR stunt.
kevingadd 8y ago
If a billion-dollar company gives up after rolling out in that few cities, they weren't really trying. Hard to know what their goals were initially since it seems like it wasn't actually market disruption.
- PaulHoule 8y ago
  I think they did create the "level set" that gigabit speeds were possible. In the short term they may have spurred more competition, but in the long term they've simply caused despair in everyone except for the incumbent ISPs.
- utopcell 8y ago
  I interpreted that failure as Google being powerless against big ISPs.
  - kevingadd 8y ago
    It's really hard for me to believe that a company with a billion dollars couldn't buy their way to favorable laws. Everyone else does it.
    - dnicjwbfic82 8y ago
      The fact that this is even a thing makes me sick. The american political system is royaly f'ed up.
    - rayiner 8y ago
      Google negotiated extremely favorable terms with Fiber cities, much more favorable than the terms the incumbents received: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/time-warner-att-want-kansas-city-to-give-them-google-fiber-style-deal https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/time-warner-att-.... > As we’ve reported on in the past, Kansas City has rolled out the digital red carpet for Google: giving rights of way, prime office space, expedited permitting, fee waivers, and more. In a notable example, the city charged only $10 per pole for Google to string its cable on municipal utility poles—as opposed to the usual $18.95 per pole rate. But now, local incumbents Time Warner Cable and AT&T want to feel the love, too. It wouldn’t be fair to accuse Google if “buying” anything—it’s modus operandi was to approach second tier cities in low-cost states that would see fiber as a differentiating factor to help boost their economy. (That’s why they refused to deal with Boston, SF, or NYC.) Then Google gave them extremely aggressive terms, such as waiver of build-out requirements (the obligation to serve the whole city, even unprofitable areas) that are otherwise universal in such deals. And Google still couldn’t make the numbers work!
  - dnicjwbfic82 8y ago
    I really doubt a multi million dollar company like google could be put off if they really tried. Look at what they did in other markets. The sad truth is that this was a "project" for them. If wasn't a part of their future strategy so they bailed and left everyone else to pick up the pieces.
- agumonkey 8y ago
  To be fair, Google is having attention span deficit in many departments.. their apps are being constantly shelved-off too. They're operating all side projects in a move fast manner.
username223 8y ago
I would say "cherry-pick" rather than "disrupt." They thought they could pick out a handful of the most profitable markets, then only deploy to those. Sadly, they failed to do even that.

Considering the discrepancy between the resources available to Google and the results achieved, I think it's safe to say that was a half-hearted attempt at most. There is part of me that thinks the whole thing was a PR stunt.

kevingadd 8y ago

If a billion-dollar company gives up after rolling out in that few cities, they weren't really trying. Hard to know what their goals were initially since it seems like it wasn't actually market disruption.

PaulHoule 8y ago
I think they did create the "level set" that gigabit speeds were possible. In the short term they may have spurred more competition, but in the long term they've simply caused despair in everyone except for the incumbent ISPs.
utopcell 8y ago
I interpreted that failure as Google being powerless against big ISPs.
- kevingadd 8y ago
  It's really hard for me to believe that a company with a billion dollars couldn't buy their way to favorable laws. Everyone else does it.
  - dnicjwbfic82 8y ago
    The fact that this is even a thing makes me sick. The american political system is royaly f'ed up.
  - rayiner 8y ago
    Google negotiated extremely favorable terms with Fiber cities, much more favorable than the terms the incumbents received: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/time-warner-att-want-kansas-city-to-give-them-google-fiber-style-deal https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/time-warner-att-.... > As we’ve reported on in the past, Kansas City has rolled out the digital red carpet for Google: giving rights of way, prime office space, expedited permitting, fee waivers, and more. In a notable example, the city charged only $10 per pole for Google to string its cable on municipal utility poles—as opposed to the usual $18.95 per pole rate. But now, local incumbents Time Warner Cable and AT&T want to feel the love, too. It wouldn’t be fair to accuse Google if “buying” anything—it’s modus operandi was to approach second tier cities in low-cost states that would see fiber as a differentiating factor to help boost their economy. (That’s why they refused to deal with Boston, SF, or NYC.) Then Google gave them extremely aggressive terms, such as waiver of build-out requirements (the obligation to serve the whole city, even unprofitable areas) that are otherwise universal in such deals. And Google still couldn’t make the numbers work!
- dnicjwbfic82 8y ago
  I really doubt a multi million dollar company like google could be put off if they really tried. Look at what they did in other markets. The sad truth is that this was a "project" for them. If wasn't a part of their future strategy so they bailed and left everyone else to pick up the pieces.
agumonkey 8y ago
To be fair, Google is having attention span deficit in many departments.. their apps are being constantly shelved-off too. They're operating all side projects in a move fast manner.

username223 8y ago

I would say "cherry-pick" rather than "disrupt." They thought they could pick out a handful of the most profitable markets, then only deploy to those. Sadly, they failed to do even that.