Google Fiber update #9: Wrap-up

Google Fiber from Benjamin Schmanke on Vimeo.

Here's a follow-up to the Google Fiber coverage - and I'm sure we are missing a lot. Tomorrow is the deadline: March 26.

Open access. In the Netherlands, a Task Force of the Ministry of Economic Affairs recommended municipal funding to be granted to open access networks only.

1 Gb/s. Ars Technica has an article on the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Its open access point-to-point network is in fact a trial similar to Google's, running for one year. CPE is from Netherlands-based Genexis.

Cities. Since our previous update, we picked up another 32 towns planning an application. Multiple towns from California, Arizona, Michigan, Idaho, Iowa, Alaska, Georgia, Washington. Most conspicuous are Milwaukee and Detroit.

Overview. Looking back, we counted around 190 towns across 40 states/territories, as well as several counties and entire states/territories (Hawaii, Washington DC, Michigan, New York). States missing in the list are: Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wyoming. States contributing the largest number of towns are:

• California: 24 (ao San Francisco and several Silicon Valley towns: Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale).
• Michigan: 16 (ao Detroit).
• North Carolina: 12.

It's anyone's guess now. I suppose Google's Minnie Ingersoll and James Kelly will have a hard time. There are no details yet beyond the original statement. The three states mentioned here may have a slighly higher chance, esp. California being the home state to Google. Apart from that, perhaps a city will be picked that shows a diverse geography and demographic, because Google intends the whole thing to be a trial of changing user habits on the availability of a 1 Gb/s connection. The survey mentioned here doesn't really seem to be relevant.