Google Fiber - kansas to nix expansion of google fiber and municipal broadband

[vaarsuvius]

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/01/31/0155202/Kansas-to-nix-expansion-of-Google-fiber-and-municipal-broadband

 

or here

 

http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/sb304_00_0000.pdf

 

 

The doc for the bill is on the web site. 

 

I understand were they are coming from.  You cant have a large business coming into a town and killing everything else IF that business is harmful to others.  My small town of 3,000 or so was asked to support a Wal-Mart a few years ago.  It would have killed most of the small shops around the town(Take note there were no Wal-Marts in my area with in a 30 min drive.  

 

I guess I am to young to see the big pic here.  

[_ASSASSIN_]

and? they offer a service no one else does, Google in this sector is doing an amazing job at basically breaking the monopolies established in areas where most of the time they just overcharge for their services, I just see google as competition for the small people to stop extracting money and start charging sanely for their inadequate services

[kuddlesworth9419]

All I want is Google fibre in England.

[MatheusSanzo]

Thats just the government being a dick.

[WelshDdraig]

All I want is Google fibre in England.

And Wales, or just pretty much every where. 

[zamaz]

Yea I get their point, but it'll do more for them than against them most likely. I mean if they had a local cable provider then I can understand, but this just seems like a bad move.

[Khraft]

All I want is Google fibre in England.

 

And Wales, or just pretty much every where. 

 

I live right next to Google's HQ, and even I can't get Google fiber.... ಠ_ಠ

[Guest]

I want fiber in no mans land West Virginia

[jksluv]

You cant have a large business coming into a town and killing everything else IF that business is harmful to others. My small town of 3,000 or so was asked to support a Wal-Mart a few years ago. It would have killed most of the small shops around the town(Take note there were no Wal-Marts in my area with in a 30 min drive.

Not if those "small business" monopolize the market and ripoff consumers.

[VSG]

I think TekSyndicate pretty has it spot on here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ytrjz-KHsKc#t=1459

[kuddlesworth9419]

And Wales, or just pretty much every where. 

I meant the whole UK sorry. i pretty much include the whole country when I say England bt I guess I was wrong. Except Scotland as they will probably vote to leave. Which is better for us to get rid of the complaining section of the UK.

[kuddlesworth9419]

I live right next to Google's HQ, and even I can't get Google fiber.... ಠ_ಠ

I would feel sorry for you but I don't have fibre and you live right next to Google so I bet you get a pretty decent  bandwidth. 

[Imaginaerum]

Not if those "small business" monopolize the market and ripoff consumers.

My biggest problem with the mom-and-pop shop arguments is that those local stores are never freaking open when I need them to be. When do I generally get my day started? Around 8AM. Do they open before 8AM? Nope. When's my next break? 12PM. Oh great, they're off at lunch too. When does my day end? Say around 5. When do they close? Around 5. I can actually buy things at Walmart because they're open.

 

As for Kansas, I'll just try to copy what Wendel from Tek Syndicate said: It's like saying the pony express is going to go out of business because people want to install telephone lines.

 

Or he said something like that. Same type of thing, the government should reverse this and tell them 'hail competition.'

[LAwLz]

My biggest problem with the mom-and-pop shop arguments is that those local stores are never freaking open when I need them to be.

My biggest problem is that it hinders competition and innovation. Why shouldn't Google be allowed to install fiber in peoples' houses just because some local ISP offers a much shittier service and don't want/can't upgrade.

Imagine what it would be like if the same logic was applied to processors. "Nope AMD and Intel aren't allowed to release their new chip because VIA wouldn't be able to compete anymore!". These kind of "but think of the mom-and-pop businesses" arguments is basically just saying "nobody should be allowed to offer better services than this crappy company!". Personally I don't give a damn about those small local stores. If some other store wants to compete then let them. You can't hinder a better service from coming just because it might hurt worse companies, no matter who owns it.

[gastew15]

Well if it ruins local business then the local business was crap to begin with. Let economics run it's course and get rid of inefficient things, and then eventually create even better services. Creative destruction is good for everyone even the person that lost their business or whatever to it, as eventually they'll actually provide something useful or go away. 

[JAKEBAB]

google come to australia we actually need it! our government is screwing our fibre for corroded copper please

 

This bs google fiber is amazing maybe if every isp was like this they wouldnt have this problem!

[Bob]

Political corruption at its finest, here in NC they passed a similar law banning towns from making their own fiber networks. 

[BigB72]

I find this utterly annoying. I currently live in kansas and in a small town. The isp in my town is pretty much a monopoly as they have been allowed to keep competition from entering the town. They also price ther 3Mbps download for 170$ a month. So i could care less if google put them out of business.

[Imaginaerum]

My biggest problem is that it hinders competition and innovation. Why shouldn't Google be allowed to install fiber in peoples' houses just because some local ISP offers a much shittier service and don't want/can't upgrade.

Imagine what it would be like if the same logic was applied to processors. "Nope AMD and Intel aren't allowed to release their new chip because VIA wouldn't be able to compete anymore!". These kind of "but think of the mom-and-pop businesses" arguments is basically just saying "nobody should be allowed to offer better services than this crappy company!". Personally I don't give a damn about those small local stores. If some other store wants to compete then let them. You can't hinder a better service from coming just because it might hurt worse companies, no matter who owns it.

I can't even remember the last time I went to a locally owned store unless it was a restaurant, and fiber wouldn't hinder that.

[LAwLz]

I can't even remember the last time I went to a locally owned store unless it was a restaurant, and fiber wouldn't hinder that.

Well the reason why Google isn't allowed to install more fiber is to "ensure an equal playing field". It's the same reason why some people (such as OP) protests against Wal-Mart.

Basically, nobody is allowed to offer a better service than the competitors, or at a lower price. It's the most backwards way of thinking I have ever seen.

[Kamina]

Why isn't Google Fiber in its homeland? 

[Khraft]

I would feel sorry for you but I don't have fibre and you live right next to Google so I bet you get a pretty decent  bandwidth. 

 

I didn't mean to make it sound like I was complaining, more of a "wat" moment.

 

Why isn't Google Fiber in its homeland? 

 

I have no idea...

[alicskysareblue]

Well the reason why Google isn't allowed to install more fiber is to "ensure an equal playing field". It's the same reason why some people (such as OP) protests against Wal-Mart.

Basically, nobody is allowed to offer a better service than the competitors, or at a lower price. It's the most backwards way of thinking I have ever seen.an

and my freinds is what an oligoply 

my isp has a monopoly around my area offering 30mps and 60 mbs as "fast" oh and lots of bs bundling, still better then kansas though feel sorry for you guys

[Gilianz]

I'm from Kansas... Actually I'm in the Kansas City area where fiber could be available to me. This makes me sad... I really wish there could be a change of how things like this are viewed. Most companies charge an exorbitant amount of money for internet that they consider "fast". Why not let the expansion of fiber happen so that other companies will change to faster internet as well? I know it is easier said than done, but it seems as though it's stuff like this that hinders expansion.... Just my 2 cents.

[Grave]

30 minute drive or so to the nearest Walmart in my area and it still ruins business. My city is a ghost town in terms of business. Really hate living here but I can't do anything about it.

If Orono (I live in Maine) actually expands it's fiber network, I'd possibly move there. I like Maine, just not its internet and prices. But this is something I think is foolish since most ISPs in the U.S. are either complete ass, or they're overpriced and whatnot. I wouldn't mind paying to kill off TWC, Comcast and Verizon.

At the very least it would force other ISPs to step their game up and provide cheaper internet and/or upgrade to a fiber network. I do not see it as a bad thing, and I think it's dumb that people think it is. Hell, one of the minor ISPs here that is very bad plans on making a fiber network before 2019 or something. GWI. They're terrible and probably one of the smallest ISPs here or is actually gone now, but their website still says they want fiber everywhere. So yeah, that just reinforces my thoughts on the matter.

Edit: My city is much larger than where you live, but I also live on the edge of it which is borderline boonies. If I go about 600 feet away, I'm technically in a different town and it's definitely not very big. I still get TWC and such here, but cable internet is crap.

I remember when I signed up for TWC at first, 2 years ago. $29.95 for standard package, +$5 for the turbo of 5mbps up, totaling shy of $35/mo for 25/6+ down/up. Year after, when the sales period ended, we dropped turbo since I didn't feel it was doing much and we didn't want to pay more than $50. And about 2 months ago, before the entire 2 year contract was officially gone, my download speed dropped to 14-16mbps. Now, the contract is completely done with and the price is $60.98 or so per month and they offered me to enter another contract which reduced the price to $55.98. Fuck TWC. I plan on getting the 100/20 down/up plan from Comcast soon. Even though it costs $120/mo at full price ($89.99 for 6 months in a contract), it's still way less costly than what TWC is charging and I can finally watch 720/1080p. Things like that are why I support a fiber network monopoly.