Google Fiber: Pick me! Pick me!
If you're watching closely the city's efforts to bring Google Fiber to Baltimore, take a look at The Baltimore Sun's editorial today on the project.
It's titled "Five Reasons Google Should Pick Baltimore."
As an aside, I've been thinking about how clever Google has been with their fiber effort. The free publicity they've gotten for it has been amazing.
Also, the online search giant has probably saved a lot of time and money by basically asking for municipalities to provide them information.
In the old days when a big company wanted to do a project like this, they'd usually spend tons of money on researching an ideal location.They'd narrow it down to some top candidates and then work with those selected to make it happen, with behind-the-scenes lobbying and negotiations going on, of course.
But Google is getting municipalities like Baltimore, Topeka "Google" Kansas and others to trip over themselves to submit the relevant information on their communities, for free.
It's really a brilliant move on the part of Google to essentially "crowdsource" the interest in this fiber project.
For Google, why waste time pursuing it in communities that may not be excited about it, when there are scores who are willing to do whatever it takes to lure Google to their community?
Google: you'z so smart.
UPDATE: You should check out the write-up of the Baltimore Google Fiber effort by the huge tech blog, TechCrunch. It's here. Read the comments, too, if you care. Baltimore represents!
This is an archived version of the technology blog. For updated coverage, see the current baltTech location: baltimoresun.com/balttech
Comments
Also, instead of lobbying local politicians to clear regulatory hurdles, often an expensive proposition, Google has got them competing to grease the skids.
Very clever, but once Google has invested a lot of money and time in their chosen locales, I wonder if they'll be able to keep the local political machines from extracting cash, gift cards, etc.
Posted by: Andrew | March 15, 2010 9:28 AM
Here is a question I'd like to see addressed if Baltimore looses out on Google's fiber:
The various supporters of bmorefiber (including the Baltimore City government) clearly agree that Baltimore is undeserved for network connectivity and competition. What will they do to going forward to help ensure this is not the case?
Posted by: Paul | March 15, 2010 11:14 AM
Google Czar is o.k., I'm just glad no one has suggested we rename Baltimore anything like "Google-more," "Google City" or something really hokey like that.
Posted by: Daniel | March 15, 2010 8:19 PM
Don't sell our soul to Google, one of whose founders claims there is no such thing as privacy. Which has suddenly found "religion" in China after complying with every government edict.
Google wave, Google buzz, Google broadband.
Posted by: SXS | March 16, 2010 6:08 AM
It goes to show how strangled communities are by the monopoly or duopoly entrenched providers like Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner, AT&T, and their other service proider rivals have over the areas in which they operate. Communities are climbing over one another since our current providers have every intention of keeping speeds down and milking customers for every fraction of a penny.
This whole Google thing sure is a circus show. The FCC can't seem to gauge the level of competition out there yet the lack of it should be painfully evident by how aggressive cities like Baltimore are posturing themselves for Google fiber. I hope the communities that don't get the fiber wake up and start demanding more from their current providers and even outright penalizing them for stagnating development.
I hope Google comes to Baltimore and I hope I'm close enough to the city to get it in my home!
Posted by: BigDragon | March 16, 2010 5:06 PM
I cannot wait until they announce who wins, it would be great to get a gig a second!
Posted by: Electronic Cigarette | May 4, 2010 2:48 PM