14 DAY TRIAL // The first stage of Google's ultra high-speed broadband roll out plan is over with the application period for the 1 Gbps fiber-to-home infrastructure project now closed. The company has tallied the final results and the response from communities across the US was very positive, as expected. 1,100 cities and towns applied for the Google experimental network and a total of 194,000 people expressed their interest. The search giant will now review the entries to cull the list and decide on the places where it will start building the infrastructure.
"If one message has come through loud and clear, it's this: people across the country are hungry for better and faster Internet access," James Kelly, Product Manager at Google, wrote.
"So what's next? Over the coming months, we'll be reviewing the responses to determine where to build. As we narrow down our choices, we'll be conducting site visits, meeting with local officials and consulting with third-party organizations. Based on a rigorous review of the data, we will announce our target community or communities by the end of the year," he explained.
Google announced plans to bring 1 Gbps connections to at least 50,000 Americans but the number could grow to as much as 500,000. The company will build all the needed infrastructure at no cost to the authorities and will then offer the high-speed broadband access at "affordable prices" to consumers. The hope is that the tests will bring out cheaper ways of delivering fast internet connections to homes and that it will spur ISPs to invest in better infrastructure.
Plenty of towns and cities have expressed their desire to be a part of the experiment and many have resorted to 'interesting' methods of getting Google's attention. From changing the city's name to Google or Google Island to swimming with sharks, there have been plenty of stunts. Still, the search giant insists that the review process will be thorough and will likely focus on more practical things.