Google Broadband. Coming soon.
p2pnet view P2P | Politics:- Doesn’t America have any kind of rules for curbing naked corporate greed such as that blatantly demonstrated by Google day after day?
No wonder Larry Page, left, Erich Schmidt (centre) and Sergey Brin look so smug. They control Google, the massive US advertising congomerate that’s hard-wired into everything, everywhere.
Earlier today, it “has its fingers in so many pies, up to and including politics at government level, you can no longer see the pies”, said p2pnet, going on:
“It’s already trying to outfox Firefox and out micro Microsoft with its very own browser. Now it plans to outFa$ebook social advertising site Fa$ebook, complete with a nauseating folksy promo video.
“And hooked directly into Gmail, it also reads your mind.”
How so? Its ‘Buzz’ social advertising network “recommends interesting posts and weeds out ones you’re likely to skip”, it boasts. And it can only do that if it knows, in minute detail, who you are, where you go and what you do.
But that’s not all. Not even nearly.
The latest element of its all-encompassing plan to know everything — everything — about you is to launch its own fiber-optic broadband network. That way, it’ll get all the data on you it hasn’t already been able to get through its various apps and ’services’.
Then it’ll be better able to fine tune you in directions it wants you to go
“We’re planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States”, it says in a blog post wittily headed up Think big with a gig, going on:
“We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We plan to offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.”
For now.
Among other things, “we’ll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way”, it says.
Sure.
“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.
Right.
“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”, it says.
In other words, get them so involved there’s no way out, and make them believe it’s for THEM.
“We’ll collect responses until March 26, and will announce our target communities later this year”, it says.
Wonder when Eric & Co plan to move into the Whitehouse?
“Stay tuned”, says Google.
Stay conned, would be more accurate.
..… and identi.ca
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
everything, everywhere – The World According to Google, February 8, 2010
blog post – Think big with a gig: Our experimental fiber network, February 10, 2010
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February 10th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Google is just a company like any other company. It makes money for its shareholders by innovating and as it does this, it helps move us all along to better places.
Get a life.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
I can’t see how they’ll get to do this in the States.
All the existing majors will kick and scream at the FCC, citing the same anti-competitive laws that already prevent many US cities from being able to build their own infrastructures.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
But this Google, DA, living proof that money talks and bullshit doesn’t walk.
PS: – Not only but also, as I write this (11:34 am Pacific) the only three ‘Sci/Tech’ stories on Google’s main Canada news page are — you guessed it.
Cheers!
February 10th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
There are no heroes here, I mean, you can’t say, “oh big bad Google is picking on the poor billion dollar isp’s”. The same isp’s who not only have been dog slow if not stagnant when it comes to improving internet speed and service, but have been pushing for “tiered” net service, essentially slowing down service for activities the isp doesn’t like, for example p2p apps. If google wants to prove the lie to their perennial claim that the “pipes” (and yes I say that sarcastically) are clogged and provide substantially faster service, bring it on.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
This is outrageous! The last thing the US needs is more broadband competition driving the data rates up and the prices down! A choice of one or two providers should be enough for anyone!
February 10th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
@ RW ‘This is outrageous’
Heh. If only it wasn’t Gargle …
Cheers!
February 10th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
@Jon:
Who knows?
If this thing happens, and it takes off, Google might find itself in a kind of black hole, where the endless demands (for a superior service) might cause a financial drain equal to their desire to keep it going.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Sorry Google but we are facing such a problem with rogue corporations that from now on we will destroy any corporation already to big or about to become to big.
February 11th, 2010 at 3:16 am
Google isn’t hiding their intentions – this is a test so that they can contribute to ongoing data compression and optimization techniques, amongst other things. They’ve used the Mountain View campus and Arizona State for network tests of this ilk for ages – this is the ‘logical’ extension of their testing environment. It’s devilishly hard to accurately replicate real-world data use scenarios with models alone… Further, there is a substantial problem is getting ISPs in the US to light up dark fibre, and when they either light it or lay new stuff it’s prohibitively expensive to take advantage of. If Google’s actions promote more extensive adoption of fibre-speeds, then great.
I’ll point out that all eyes will be on how Google deploys their network; what will be interesting will be whether they continue to discriminate against some data uses/sources (as they do with Google Voice), what analysis technologies are used inline and offline, and the degree of transparency in their actions. ISPs regularly ‘tweak’ their analysis heuristics and systems without notifying users, and they already operate as data gate-keepers (in the sense that you are required to transit data through them to access ‘net-based data); how does the worry about Google not apply to AT&T, Comcast, Qwest, etc?
February 11th, 2010 at 9:01 am
@ Chris:
Sorry, mate, but I’ve reached such a level of cynicism with respect to Google that I suspect everything they do has an ulterior motive. They continue to plunder the net to the detriment, and danger, of users, and no one seems to care.
“If Google’s actions promote more extensive adoption of fibre-speeds, then great.”
Not necessarily, IMHO. As I say, to me, this is no more than a(nother) way for them to further consolidate their increasingly powerful lock on internet traffic and activities, also providing them with legitimately obtained private and personal data of up to half a million people, in the first instance.
Sadly, Google is completely untrustworthy.
This isn’t isolated development. It’s part of a pattern. Google is building a kingdom in which it has complete and total control, and I think anyone who truly believes in untrammelled freedom of speech and freedom of movement should examine everything Google does under a high-powered microscope at length and in detail, suspecting that behind most things it says and does lies a different, negative, truth.
Cheers!
February 11th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
If the THREAT of google entering the marketplace stirs things up and encourages real competition in the marketplace instead of the evil duopolies and monopolies that exist all across north america, so much the better.
It is completely unbelievable that government hasn’t yet stepped in to control these markets, to bring real competition and real innovation to a stagnant, backwards and frightfully corrupt market.
If google enter the market it is likely to bring real change to the north american ISP market, though it remains to be seen if said change is for the better.