Update: Yep, I totally missed this one, the one time out of dozens that it actually proves to be true. Glad the troll commenters are having a good time with it.
Provo (or, more specifically, Mayor John Curtis’ office) has been hyping up an “epic announcement” for weeks now. Somewhere in the speculation came a number of rumors that Google Fiber would be swooping in to either take over or supplant iProvo. Quite frankly, that’s an absolute load of malarkey. Nothing in the history of either Provo’s handling of its fiber optic assets or Google’s launch of Google Fiber cities would suggest anything like it.
For starters, we have to consider the way in which Google announces new fiber cities. Its history has been to send out a press release at least a few days out to generate buzz and send invitations to the tech and national press. This is not a company that announced these kinds of projects without a serious amount of fanfare.
Google also has a history of liking to roll its own solutions. One of the ways it got so big so fast was to create servers based on their own custom specs, not buying expensive off-the-self servers. Google Fiber is no different. They seem to relish the idea of starting from scratch and making something uniquely theirs. iProvo would require extensive upgrades to support 1Gbps connections and an entire head-end replacement to support modern MPEG-4 video.
There’s also the point of Google’s tacit support for municipal networks. Swooping in to take over a network would undermine their unspoken support for poking incumbent operators in the eye. Their goal has always been to shame ISPs into providing better service, even if that means throwing them under the bus in favor of municipal options. Taking over a network doesn’t match up with that at all.
The kicker, though, is Google’s terms for setting up shop. So far, Google has set it up so that they can walk away from their network if they decide it’s not for them. That probably sits just fine in Kansas City and Austin where they aren’t really on the hook for much. But Provo? They’ve spent half a decade trying to run away from iProvo. Any deal that doesn’t involve them washing their hands of the network would be anathema to every single action the city has undertaken under two different mayors and a lot of different council members.
Make no bones about it: Provo is not getting the bailout it so desperately desires. Hyping up these rumors does nothing to actually fix the situation, but it does distract from real looming problems like Veracity’s lease of the network expiring in two months. Instead of trying to find a white knight savior, it’s time for Provoans to demand that their elected officials address the elephant in the room instead of continuing to punt.
PS I’ve already told you to stop daydreaming and build the same kind of network that Google is. What are you waiting for?
