[February 25, 2010] City says Google may need new lines for service: Morgantown hopes to be part of trial of high-speed Internet [The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.] Tweet (Dominion Post (Morgantown, WV) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 25--Google will likely have to install new overhead lines to provide ultrahigh-speed broadband Internet service in Morgantown, Assistant City Manager Jeff Mikorski said Tuesday. Earlier this month, Google announced plans to build and test ultrahigh-speed fiber-optic broadband networks in select communities nationwide. City officials are working with WVU to nominate Morgantown for the Google Fiber trial, which will include 50,000 to 500,000 people. Mikorski said that, ultimately, Google's engineers will determine how the networks are constructed, but fiber-optic Internet service in the Morgantown area is typically provided through overhead wires. Google could make arrangements with other companies to lease access to existing lines. However, Mikorski said he doesn't think they have the capacity to deliver Internet speeds of more than 1 gigabyte per second, as Google has proposed. "For the speeds and the capacity that they're looking at, I would say that they would have to run new wiring," Mikorski said. He added that it would be most cost effective for Google to install fiber-optic lines overhead, rather than underground. Google has not released information about how the networks will be constructed. The company is collecting information about communities interested in the project until March 26. "Our focus right now is on identifying the right community partners," Google spokesman Dan Martin said in a statement sent to The Dominion Post by e-mail. "We'll be sharing more information about our construction plans and techniques as this project progresses." Morgantown Mayor Bill Byrne said the Google Fiber network will be hard-wired to individual homes. Residents will have to pay for Google's Internet service, but it will expand what they're able to do online. City officials met Monday to discuss the project, which Byrne said will bring Morgantown into the 21st century. "We're gathering data for the application and trying to put together an application that will be viewed positively, but we know there are dozens and dozens of others out there," Byrne said. Mikorski said Morgantown's application will include information about existing fiber-optic lines and Internet availability in the area. If the city is selected for the trial, Byrne said Google Fiber will create competition for Comcast and other local service providers. Comcast spokesman Bob Groves referred questions about Google Fiber to the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA). Brian Dietz, vice president of communications for the NCTA, said Google hasn't released any technical details about how its broadband network will be constructed. He's not sure if Google could lease lines operated by Verizon or Comcast, but he said each company that offers broadband Internet access typically builds its own network by laying wires underground or overhead to deliver service. "We look forward to learning more about Google's broadband experiment in the handful of trial locations they are planning," Dietz said in a statement. "The cable industry has invested $161 billion over the past 13 years to build a nationwide broadband infrastructure that is available to 92 percent of U.S. homes, and we will continue to invest billions more to continually improve the speed and performance of our networks and provide tens of millions of consumers with the best possible broadband experience." Groves said Comcast has invested $38.1 million in technology and infrastructure statewide since 1996. The company offers broadband service to every home in the areas it serves in West Virginia, including Monongalia, Marion and Preston counties. Verizon spokesman Harry J. Mitchell did not respond to questions from The Dominion Post about whether Google could tap into Verizon's existing network to provide broadband service. "The Internet ecosystem is dynamic and competitive, and it's delivering great benefits to consumers," Mitchell said in a statement. "Google's expansion of its networks to enter the access market is another new paragraph in this exciting story." MANAGING EDITOR Pamela Queen contributed to this report. To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]