In the Driskill Hotel in the center of downtown Austin, TX, Google held a public meeting with the purpose of allowing people to ask questions about how Google Fiber will work in the city. Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Fiber, moderated the lively discussion that happened twice over today.
Lo started out the panel with a simple, yet profound statement, to explain exactly the type of urgency Google has put in place for this massive project.
“We are not patient people.”
As such, the people at Google Fiber are acting to engage with the city’s community much earlier in the process than they had with the people in Kansas City. Lo said that there are no clear obstacles or difficulties he was prepared to list at the time concerning Kansas City, but it’s simply a matter of having a better understanding of how to go about the process.
One oft-repeated question through both of today’s panels seemed to have been based on a misunderstanding of who will have access to Google Fiber. Or to put it in the vernacular used during the panel, where the Fiberhoods will be. Today’s key phrase was “Digital Inclusion”, and Lo said this is a driving force at Google. The company plans on offering Google Fiber to the 30 percent of Americans who don’t have broadband at home. Lo was asked about the characteristics of a a Google Fiber-destined neighborhood, and said he can easily describe that: All neighborhoods will have the option to install Google Fiber. If people want the service, they can just “raise their hand” to say they’re interested.
Most Americans average 6 Mbps download speeds and 1.2 Mbps uploads. Google Fiber seeks to increase that average dramatically.
One attendee asked the most basic question of, “Why is Google doing this?”
Lo said, “We’re building it for the applications that don’t exist yet. When more people are online and connected to the internet, we believe it builds stronger communities.”
Another attended asked, “What sort of grassroots efforts were happening in Kansas City?”
Lo said that in Kansas City, nine area hospitals are investing in applications to make use of Google Fiber. There have been other rather remarkable enterprises such as Homes for Hackers, which is a completely rent-free living/woking space that also has free access to Google Fiber in return for people bringing their startup operations to Kansas City. This led to a discussion of the startup possibilities open to a city like Austin, which is known for its massive infusion of tech in local businesses.
When Google Fiber started its efforts of outreach, it understood that digital literacy would be a big component. However, it wasn’t until the product was in place that Fiber started to comprehend the impact it would have on literacy. Polling many teachers on why they don’t use internet-based assignments more often, the answer that came back was one based on availability. Many poorer students don’t have access to the internet and it would be seen as an unfair advantage to those that do. That could all change with Google Fiber, with equal high speeds being available for obtainable costs. Also, in a coordinated effort with Austin, 100 public sites have been chosen to receive gigabit speeds, free of charge.
Even more significant than the crazy speed, Google promised that when it does an installation, it give you an exact time that an installer will show up, rather than a range.
“Instead of saying we’ll be there some time from noon to four, we’ll tell you we can be there at twelve. That’s the way we do our installations. We show up at an actual time.”
Fiber is actually relatively future proof, with the one exception of quantum computing.
Interestingly, Lo reports that landlords really got the importance of Google Fiber in Kansas City, seeing the ability to have free gigabit speed internet as a major incentive to live in the city.
“The last thing anyone wants is more road closures, but we are going to have to shut some down as we go underground,” said Lo.
Lo also went on to list an unsourced, but believable, stat that said businesses that are online grow 40 percent faster than businesses that aren’t.
As for Google TV, Lo says that it differs from other TV packages by constantly adding new channels and a better user experience, such as high-quality HD service. There will also be two terabytes of storage and the ability to record up to eight programs at once, which Lo admits is “a little bit of overkill.” Also, the fact that the default remote control is a tablet, a Nexus 7, counts toward a major incentive for many to obtain the service.
Protecting privacy is a major passion with Google Fiber, and Lo answers this concern by saying that Fiber accounts are separate from your other Google accounts.
Jenna Wandres, senior communications associate at Google, did say that Google Fiber has someone in place within the organization who has as one of his duties the job of working out the potential for small and medium business packages.
To keep up to date with firsthand news from Google about Fiber, go here and enter your email address along with your zip code.
With no less than three full-page ads for Google Fiber in Austin newspaper Austin-American Statesman, the push for Google Fiber in the Texas state capital has officially and strongly begun. Representatives said that there will be regular community events occurring at least once a month for the foreseeable future, even with little new information planned to come out.
Major hat tip to Roy Janik, co-owner of The Hideout Theatre and Coffee House, for help with notes during this event.
Comments are closed.