Mar 31, 2013 at 3:17pm ET by Matt McGee

April Fool's Day is pretty much like a national ... err, international holiday for everyone that works for Google. It seems that nobody else on the Web takes the tradition of pranks and jokes as seriously as Google does -- just see our coverage from the last few April Fool's Days for proof: Google's Gags Go Worldwide For April Fool's Day 2012 It's Over: Google Has Already Won April Fools Day 2011 Google Books, Google Maps Get 3D View – But Only For April Fool's Day April Fools' Day 2009: Google CADIE & More From Search Industry It may still be March 31st for me, and maybe [...]

Google Selects Kansas City For Superfast Broadband Network

Mar 30, 2011 at 5:25pm ET by Matt McGee

A little more than a year after announcing its plans to build a superfast, experimental broadband network somewhere in the U.S., Google has announced where that's going to happen: Kansas City, Kansas. In selecting a city, our goal was to find a location where we could build efficiently, make an impact on the community and develop relationships with local government and community organizations. We’ve found this in Kansas City. Google says that nearly 1,100 cities applied to host the high-speed broadband network. Many used public and government support to show Google how desperately the [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Internet Access

Google Hires Georgia Tech To Build Internet Monitoring Tools

Mar 23, 2011 at 9:32am ET by Barry Schwartz

Ars Technica reports Google has given a $1 million grant to a team at Georgia Tech in order to build tools to help users around the world monitor the internet for free. The goal is to build web-based tools any user can use that enables them to detect Internet throttling, government censorship, and other transparency problems. It will let users verify that their ISPs are delivering the upload and download speeds they were promised. It will let users learn if their governments are blocking or modifying the Internet without their knowledge. It will basically help users know if they are being [...]

Google Buying The “VoIP Infrastructure” Out From Under Competitors

May 18, 2010 at 10:13am ET by Greg Sterling

Google rarely does anything with a single objective in mind. There are almost always multiple goals or possibilities involved in most of its strategic moves and acquisitions. Such is also the case with its $68 million effort to acquire Global IP Solutions (GIPS). The company, headquartered in San Francisco but publicly traded in Norway, "provides best-in-class voice and video processing in IP communications." As several others have already remarked, GIPS has a customer list that includes "Nortel, Oracle, Samsung, WebEx, Yahoo. AOL and other key players in the VoIP market." Some of the Vo [...]

Topeka Changes Its Name To Google, Kansas (Temporarily)

Mar 2, 2010 at 12:50am ET by Matt McGee

What would you do to get Google to build a super high-speed broadband network in your hometown? If you're the city of Topeka, Kansas, you'd change your name. To Google, Kansas. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal (err ... the Google Capital-Journal?), mayor Bill Bunten issued a proclamation today that renames the city to "Google, Kansas — the capital city of fiber optics" for the entire month of March. When presented with the idea, none of the city's seven councilmembers objected. (After all, who among us would refuse the chance to be a councilmember of Google?) This is apparently [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Internet Access

Google To Develop Superfast “Experimental Fiber Network”

Feb 10, 2010 at 11:19am ET by Greg Sterling

Google continues to flirt with being an ISP or carrier. Several years ago the company was part of the aborted municipal WiFi bid for San Francisco with Earthlink. Google is also one of the major forces behind the White Spaces initiative ("WiFi on steroids") that seeks unused TV spectrum for broadband purposes. In addition, Google currently operates a free WiFi network in and around Mountain View, California where the company is headquartered. And it's an investor in WiMax provider Clearwire. A few years ago Google was reportedly aggregating "dark fiber" and seeking a person to "negotiat[e] [...]

Google Starts Public DNS Project

Dec 3, 2009 at 11:42am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google is introducing their own public DNS (domain name system) today named Google Public DNS. DNS is basically the Internet service that converts a web address (i.e. searchengineland.com) to an IP address of a server. Google says in many cases, DNS can be slow and we all know how much Google is obsessed with speed these days. Google hopes that their DNS service will be super fast, faster than the other out there. For more information on how to use Google's Public DNS, see the Google Code Blog. Google added: As people begin to use Google Public DNS, we plan to share what we lea [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Internet Access

Google Wants The Web To Go Faster

Jun 23, 2009 at 7:37pm ET by Greg Sterling

Google wants to make the internet faster. By speeding up the "most important computing platform of our time," Google believes that consumers and businesses will experience a wide range of benefits, many of which we can imagine, some of which might be revealed over time. There's no product or specific consumer offering here. Rather Google is trying to advocate multiple initiatives in parallel that the company believes are important to usher in a better, faster internet (including for mobile devices). This Google Code Blog post lays out the arguments and suggestions as does the video below: [...]

Google Promotes New “Small Business Network”

May 13, 2009 at 9:40am ET by Greg Sterling

Although it's been around for a little while, Google is doing some promotion of its new "Small Business Network." Believe it or not it's a lobbying effort to represent small business interests in Washington DC and at the state level. It's also a clever way to open a new direct communication channel with SMBs: Google's Small Business Network was created to give small business owners the information and tools to promote business-friendly policies in Washington, D.C. and state capitols. The Internet provides an unparalleled opportunity for small businesses to start up, gr [...]

Tech Companies Win ‘White Spaces’ Airwaves Decision

Nov 5, 2008 at 10:21am ET by Greg Sterling

The US Federal Communications Commission approved a plan to allow unlicensed broadcast TV spectrum to be used by companies to create wireless broadband services that amount to "WiFi on steroids." This was a hotly contested issue, with tech and electronics companies like Google, HP, Microsoft, Intel, Dell and Motorola, among a number of others, lining up in favor and a coalition of sports teams, theater producers, musicians and broadcasters, among others, opposing the plan. The opponents and detractors unsuccessfully argued that new uses of the white spaces "radio spectrum," existing "betwe [...]

Google To Help Bring Internet To Africa & Beyond Through New Satellites

Sep 9, 2008 at 1:07pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Google backs project to connect 3bn to net from the Financial Times reports Google will announce they're contributing to a project to place 16 low-earth orbit satellites to provide internet access to 3 billion people in Africa and other emerging markets. Google is working with John Malone, the cable television magnate, and HSBC to set up O3b Networks to purchase the satellites and split the $750 million bill. The deal should reduce the cost of internet by 95% in those areas. Larry Alder, product manager in Google’s alternative access group, told the Financial Times, "this really fits into [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Internet Access

Google May Launch Balloons Across World To Provide Mobile Access

Feb 21, 2008 at 8:48am ET by Barry Schwartz

We have been covering how Google may provide internet access to those users who don't have it yet for a while now. While the Submarine Cable Negotiator job at Google was pretty interesting, I think this new story may be even more interesting. Floating a New Idea For Going Wireless, Parachute Included from the Wall Street Journal reports how Google is interested in possibly using disposable hydrogen-filled balloons packed with miniature versions of cellphone towers inside of them to provide internet access to those people who have a hard time getting it. Space Data Corp creates these balloon [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Internet Access

Google Unity Project To Build Submarine Cables Across Pacific Ocean

Sep 21, 2007 at 2:38pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Remember that Submarine Cable Negotiator job we mentioned being available at Google last month? Turn out Google's not just negotiating for undersea cable use. It has its own "Unity" project underway to run communication cable of its own under the Pacific. Spotted via John Paczkowski, Google plans new undersea "Unity" cable across Pacific from Commsday has more about the plans Says CommsDay: Google is planning a multi-terabit undersea communications cable across the Pacific Ocean for launch in 2009, Communications Day has learned. The Unity cable has been under development for several mon [...]

Google Explains The ‘White Space Coalition’ And Its Push For Unused TV Spectrum Internet Access

Aug 17, 2007 at 9:55am ET by Greg Sterling

It sounds a little like the name of a band: The White Space Coalition. We previously wrote about the joint effort (by Google, Microsoft, Intel and others) to provide Internet access to consumers through unused parts of the television spectrum, so-called "white space." See our previous coverage in "Microsoft, Google Suffer Setback On 'White Space' Internet Access Plan" and "Microsoft And 'White Space' Coalition To Try Again On Internet Access Plan." Now Google, on its Public Policy Blog, speaks about the issue and its hope for the unused TV spectrum. [...]

Microsoft And ‘White Space’ Coalition To Try Again On Internet Access Plan

Aug 13, 2007 at 9:11am ET by Greg Sterling

A coalition of companies that includes Microsoft, Google, Intel and Dell were recently rebuffed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in their combined effort to offer wireless Internet access on unused portions of the nation's television airwaves, so-called "white space." The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) found that the coalition's hardware failed to avoid interference with existing broadcast signals. However, The Washington Post reports today that Microsoft disputes the FCC's findings and plans, together with the coalition members, to press for approval of t [...]

Microsoft, Google Suffer Setback On ‘White Space’ Internet Access Plan

Aug 6, 2007 at 9:45am ET by Greg Sterling

According to a Dow Jones report, prototype devices from Google, Microsoft and a coalition of companies that includes Philips, Intel and Dell failed an initial test that might have allowed the group to offer wireless internet and potentially other services on "unused portions of the nation's television airwaves." The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) found that the coalition's hardware failed to avoid interference with existing broadcast signals. Here's Danny's earlier post that provides some background information. Apparently the door isn't close [...]

FCC: Nice Ideas, Google — But We Don’t Like All Of Them

Jul 25, 2007 at 9:43am ET by Barry Schwartz

FCC shuns Google plans for open mobile network from Computer Business Review reports that US Federal Communications Commission chair Kevin Martin likes Google's wireless spectrum bid proposal but is not a fan of all of Google's requirements. Google said they would bid $4.6 billion on the wireless spectrum, if the FCC would comply with all of their requirements. It looks like the FCC is unlikely to comply fully because Google's proposal is likely to discourage companies from bidding on the airwaves. The FCC is worried that companies like Verizon and AT&T won't bid on the spectrum because G [...]

Google Offers $4.6 Billion Incentive So The FCC Can Approve Wireless Spectrum Proposal

Jul 20, 2007 at 12:47pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Google has made it officially clear that they are committed to making their wireless spectrum proposal win the FCC decision. Google said they would bid $4.6 billion for the 700 megahertz band wireless spectrum, if the FCC approved their proposal. Why? Google said they want to put their money where their "principles are," by making a bid at "giving abundant access to this rich resource" on "a global scale." More coverage at Techmeme. Postscript from Greg: A larger context in which to see this is net neutrality. Google is clearly interested in expanding its mobile services and this undoub [...]

Google’s Wireless Spectrum Proposal To Win In FCC

Jul 11, 2007 at 9:49am ET by Barry Schwartz

FCC Draft Auction Rules A Win For Google, Hi-Tech Industry from CNN Money reports that Google's wireless spectrum proposal gained backing from FCC chairman Kevin Martin. Ultimately, this could see Google buying wireless broadcast rights. The USA Today article, New rules could rock wireless world, explains part of the proposal means that you might be able to pick any mobile device and not have to worry about if it will be supported by your mobile provider. However, this rule will only apply to the wireless spectrum that is being auctioned off. Although it is a limited slice of spectrum, the [...]

Google’s Wireless Proposal Takes Heat From Verizon & AT&T

Jun 8, 2007 at 8:56am ET by Barry Schwartz

AT&T, Verizon oppose Google airwave proposal from the Seattle Times reports that the two U.S. telecom giants, AT&T and Verizon, are opposing Google's wireless airwave proposal. AT&T and Verizon told the Federal Communications Commission that Google has "no legitimate basis" in their proposal to have the government auction off the airwaves. The telecom companies believe Google's proposal will "disrupt the auction and diminish the airwaves' value," reports the Seattle Times. However, Frontline Wireless, a company that has historical relations with the FCC's former Chairman Reed Hundt, is for [...]

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