The City Wire Special Report: Seeking Google’s Fiber — Part II

Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part series attempting to explain what Google’s plan to build an ultra-high speed Internet connection could mean for the Fort Smith/Van Buren area. The series will wrap up Friday (Feb. 26). The third article will explain the socio-economic benefits of ultra-high speed internet; and the fourth article will list a few reasons why municipalities or local organizations in this region should send Google an application.

story by Tom Kirkham, president of Kirkham Systems and publisher of The City Wire
[email protected]

In the beginning, we had Internet and it was good.  We could connect up to simple servers delivering simple characters and words that we read and used for commands.  Simple white on black. Occasionally, we would download a file, and although applications and files were much smaller then, downloading a program could be painfully slow.

After the World Wide Web was launched, things became richer: we first had graphics, then pictures, then music. This too was slow, but fortunately this content allowed for investment opportunities for telephone companies first, then cable companies to bring us much faster – broadband – World Wide Web connections.

Businesses saw the need for having always on, everywhere Internet connections, then home users. This high speed communication ability has improved businesses, health research, education and other things that I believe we cannot see because of the trees.  Indeed, in many ways the Internet is taken for granted – until you don’t have it.

There are currently 1.7 billion Internet users around the world. Among these are thousands of potential Edisons and da Vincis, Sagans and Hubbles, Fords and Rockefellers, Pasteurs and Barnards. The Internet highway provides a way for everyone to share knowledge and experience to improve science, health, education, art, and entertainment.

Unfortunately, with all the users, knowledge, education and entertainment, those of us in the United States are travelling on the equivalent of a two-lane highway with frequent potholes and congestion. Rural users without broadband are traveling on the equivalent of a gravel road – at best. While countries that did not invent the Internet have 100 million bits per second or better Internet connections, we are stuck with a 55 mph speed limit on the Information Superhighway to our homes and businesses.

In order for our nation to grow in this Communication Age we must have something much better. We need an Interstate highway system for the Internet, with onramps and offramps to everyone in the country, anywhere they may be. In fact, everywhere they may be.

Google’s Fiber for Communities is a step towards that goal. Google is seeking 50,000 to 500,000 users to test out 1Gbps Internet connections for their home and presumable businesses. These select few will experience the Internet in ways not imagined, and Google will get to test and see what happens when a community has access to this much of speed.

• Link here for the first report in the series.