Oregon Public Broadcasting

Friday is the deadline for communities to apply for Google Fiber.  The internet giant is planning to install high-speed fiber networks that serve up to a half-million people.  The company says the network will provide internet service that’s up to a hundred times faster than current broadband.  Many cities all over the country are submitting proposals today, and Portland is one of them.  Skip Newberry is an economic advisor to the Mayor, and he said Portland has a few things going for it."Portland has a long history of  advocating for open-access broadband. It started back in the late 1990s.  The term "net neutrality' was actually coined as a result of a Portland vs. AT&T case that came out of the late 1990s."Newberry went on to say that the effort with Google will be very different from the failed Wi-Fi effort from several years ago. 

"Unfortunately, the company didn't have the capital resources to sustain itself and it eventually went under.  ...We feel confident that with Google we have a solid partner if they are in fact interested in Portland," he said.Pendleton is also getting in on the competition for Google Fiber.  Pete Wells is Pendleton’s City Attorney.  He says the company would do well to consider options outside of the big cities."It’s a limited market.  We don’t have as many providers as the big city, and what Google ought to want to know is how it works with a limited competitive market like we have, as well as a very competitive market like Portland," he said.Wells said Pendleton is collaborating with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation on its proposal to Google.  All applications have to be in by 5 pm Thursday.

For more, please visit:

• Internet Project Sparks Stunts For Google's Attention
• Google Fiber For Communities