Google Developing Internet That’s Over 1,000 Times Faster Than Yours

Google rolled out its Kansas City gigabit in 2012, and since then, it has announced additional services in Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah . Although this Google Fiber program has spurred some activity from traditional internet service providers like AT&T and Century Link, competitors have mostly been slow to follow Google toward super-fast connections. Instead of competing, the broadband industry has started proposing legislative roadblocks to prevent new competitors from entering their turf. Last year, Time Warner Cable CFO Irene Esteves said that customers dont even want faster internet speeds. Meanwhile, Verizon has halted development of its new fiber optic internet service and is focusing on wireless services instead of fixed line services. Google Fibers expansion pushed Century Link to announce gigabit fiber services in cities like Omaha, Nebraska and Las Vegas last year, but its not yet clear how many neighborhoods will ever be reached by these services. For many cities, creating community broadband services is a more attractive option than waiting for the major players to get their act together. The public electrical utility in Chattanooga, Tennessee built the nations first gigabit internet service in 2009, and since then, a few other municipal fiber services have sprung up. But in some states, there are legal roadblocks to creating such new networks. And as more communities think about picking up the slack for corporations, the more road blocks we can expect. Legislation proposed by cable company lobbyists in Kansas, for example, would not only make it nearly impossible for cities to offer their own broadband services, but would likely prohibit public-private partnerships like Google Fiber as well, according to Ars Technica . In some states, there are legal roadblocks to creating such new networks. Discussion of the bill has been postponed while its authors discuss how to make it perhaps a little less broad. Meanwhile, in Utah, legislation has been proposed that would prohibit cities from offering internet services outside their own borders, the Salt Lake City Tribune reports .
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