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02.12.10 Google To Test ISP Waters  By John VinsonGoogle has been pretty active in the early part of 2010. Today, they announced Google Buzz, a social media platform directly integrated into GMail. On the heels of that announcement, is the latest news bombshell -Google is looking into the ISP market. If the idea of Google developing ISP technologies sounds weird, don't worry you're not alone. For the past couple of years, Google has been at odds with many ISPs over net neutrality. Google has been rallying support for greater net neutrality, while the ISPs have been calling for stricter regulations. After watching Google's intro video explaining their ISP program, it's hard to decipher exactly what Google's plans are for the long term. Basically, Google will be testing fiber optic connections in various locations across the country. James Kelly, Product Manager for Google gives a simple explanation of the program, "We're doing this because we want to experiment with new ways to make the Web better and faster for everyone, allowing applications that would be impossible today." He continues, "We also want to try out new ways to build and operate fiber networks and share what we learn with the world." A couple of questions remain, how fast will the network be and where is it going to be available? One of those questions we can answer. Google is promising up to 1/Gps connection speeds. Yes, you read that correctly, 1 Gigabyte per second speeds. Unfortunately, the question involving the 'where' can't be answered yet. Google is accepting offers from communities and towns who would be interested in the inviative. So, you have until March 26th to get a hold of the people in your city who could make it happen. Like with most things Google, they're promising their fiber optic network would be open-access. This would allow service providers to use Google's infrastructure for their own networks. Along with this policy, they would stick to a non-discrimination rule set regarding traffic. This shouldn't be a big surprise considering Google's pro-net neutrality stance. This is of course an ambitious project, and no one can tell where it will go from here. I think the big question is how Google will afford the cost even for a trial. With an open invite policy, this seems like it has potential to be a massive resource sink. Google has been known for developing internet improvement initiatives in the past. They were tied to the auctioning of the 700 MHz airwave, but that came under block from Verizon and other telecoms who were threatening to sue. For the chance at having 1/Gps connection speeds, I imagine Google will be receiving many letters from city officials and citizens wanting them to bring fiber optics to their community. I know I've started on my proposal. About the Author: John is a staff writer for WebProNews. |
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