Google today made an exciting announcement of its attention to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in the United States. While we have no similar plans for Europe, we think this is the type of action needed to make the Internet faster and better. The European Commission has endorsed a new digital strategy which puts at its center the construction of faster broadband for all Europeans. Significant private and public sector investments will be required to meet this ambitious goal. We'll be returning to this theme in coming months.
Imagine sitting in a rural health clinic, streaming three-dimensional medical imaging over the web and discussing a unique condition with a specialist in Paris or London. Or procuring a high-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes. Or collaborating with classmates around the world while watching live 3-D video of a university lecture. Universal, ultra high-speed Internet access will make all this and more possible. We've urged the FCC to look at new and creative ways to get there in its National Broadband Plan – and today we're announcing an experiment of our own.
Google is planning to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the United States.
In our U.S. experiment, we'll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Europeans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We'll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.
Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that we have in mind:
- Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.
- New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share what we learn with the world.
- Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way.
Like our WiFi network in Mountain View, the purpose of this project is to experiment and learn. Many network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done. We don't think we have all the answers – but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone.
As a first step, today we're putting out a request for information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public. If you'd like to respond, click here to learn more, or check out our video:
We'll collect responses until March 26th, and will announce our target communities later this year. Stay tuned.
Posted by Minnie Ingersoll and James Kelly, Product Managers
I've got my application in and have sent out emails to my county officials here in Cobb county Ga. to do the same. I'm so sick of over priced low speed internet service form the usual suspects.
ReplyDeleteGoogle, you guys are great! Thank you for being a monopoly buster!