Picture this: you are sitting in the dorm, trying to watch a YouTube video. You arrive at the best part – and buffering. Anyone who spends any time at all on the Internet is incredibly familiar with this scene and knows the frustration. However, Google has recently come up with a solution to the never-ending spinning circle on the computer screen.
This summer in Kansas City, Kan., Google premiered their newest way to connect to the Internet: Google Fiber. And it could be on its way to Oklahoma Christian University.
Google Fiber is not your average Internet service provider; it is the pinnacle of technology when it comes to fast connection speeds.
“It allows you to have a fiber connection to Internet to your house, which means you can have a gigabite connection straight to your house, which is really fast,” junior Timothy Sikes said.
The company claims to provide speeds up to 100 times faster than today’s average broadband speeds, and at a significantly lower cost.
“I think it is great that Google is pushing to have faster Internet all over the country, and they are doing it for a relatively low price for consumers compared to most Internet service providers nowadays,” sophomore Taylor Gulley said.
There are three different plans. The first is free, besides a one-time installation fee, and is guaranteed to stay free for at least seven years.
This option includes a typical Internet connection at no cost and the ability to upgrade to faster gigabit per second speeds at any time using the equipment already in use.
“I’m glad that Google is able to disrupt the market at a low price,” Sikes said. “This forces other broadband providers to renovate their infrastructure in order to compete, both in terms of speed and price, with Google’s broadband. Hopefully this will raise both speed and availability of broadband in America, something that has been talked about in the political realm lately.”
The next plan is the gigabit Internet, at $70 per month and no installation fee. The highest is $120 a month and includes the gigabit Internet as well as an Internet TV connection.
“There are some neat features with the $120 a month plan like extra free storage, DVR and a Nexus 7 Tablet as your remote,” Sikes said.
When Google announced their new program early in 2010, they also announced they would be holding a “contest” of sorts in order to pick a community (or communities) to become their test run.
Government officials and residents were allowed to nominate their city, and the more people submitting one city, the better.
People from all over America united with their communities to prove they were the best choice to test Google Fiber.
Topeka, Kan. even changed their name to ‘Google’ for one day. YouTube videos displaying the populace’s excitement, as they attempted to have their city be the city, were posted in the hundreds.
“People really showed a great reaction toward Google’s mission,” freshman Janey Weast said. “They had a lot of excitement and dedication toward getting Google Fiber in their area.”
Only a select few areas could be the lucky recipients of Google Fiber. On March 30, 2011, Kansas City, Kan. was honored from the almost 1,100 cities nominated.
“I visited Kansas City and saw the Google Fiber headquarters,” Weast said, “It was a whole area dedicated to the entire business and offices. They had a building that reminded me of a house that they used for consulting customers and demonstrating the usefulness of Google Fiber.”
Areas surrounding Kansas City are next on the list to receive super fast connection speeds.
“I wish they would keep spreading it around more places and keep up fast Internet for everybody,” Gulley said.
Google has made it clear that they do plan to move to more cities around the country, after an evaluation of the community’s want and ability to support Google Fiber.
“A city having Google Fiber would be very attractive for a variety of reasons,” Sikes said. “It looks good technologically. It shows that a city is forward thinking.”
Oklahoma City is a possible candidate for receiving Google Fiber, as the company is expanding from Kansas. According to a map on Google Fiber’s blog, OKC also had a high rate of residents campaigning to be the test city.
One upside of the Oklahoma City area becoming connected to the fiber network would be the likelihood that Oklahoma Christian would have access to it.
“Google Fiber coming to Oklahoma Christian would increase the efficiency of using the Internet on campus and get rid of the competition for Wi-Fi,” Weast said. “It would be awesome.”
More information, including future supported cities as well as exact costs, can be found at Google Fiber’s official website or blog: google.com/fiber or googlefiberblog.blogspot.com.
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