how to become an isp

Why Google makes the perfect ISP

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

The Full Google Fiber TV/internet experience

Google has been talking about its prototype fiber network for over two years now. After a lengthy selection process, Kansas City in both Missouri and Kansas were selected, and the specifics have finally been announced. As expected, the service sounds like an amazing deal on the face of it. Though, you'll probably hear people grumbling that Google has too much data on us already, so should it really be your internet service provider too?

When you look at what Mountain View is promising to deliver with Google Fiber, and the way the company is run, Google might be the ideal choice to be your ISP. Here's why.

Wired net neutrality and caps

Many net neutrality proponents cried foul a few years ago when Google supported Verizon's vision for non-neutral mobile networks. Part of that proposal — the part that is often overlooked — is that Google strongly supported net neutrality over conventional wireline broadband.

This is Google's own wired network, so it's not going to be running any of those shenanigans you're becoming familiar with from the old ISPs. Comcast, Time Warner, and the rest are keen to build premium services, but Google has repeatedly come out against favoritism toward a single service or protocol.

Comcast has been giving preferential treatment to its own streaming video service by not counting the bandwidth against caps. Google is actually tying its fiber service in with Netflix and there are no caps at all. It's worth noting that Google could have just given its own YouTube and fiber TV products top billing, and left everyone to access Netflix in the myriad of ways already available. Instead, Netflix is part of the sales pitch.

Several ISPs have also been accused of throttling the BitTorrent protocol because they claim it negatively impacts the network. Google's fiber network won't care what protocol you're using. There is more than enough bandwidth capacity in those fiber lines to keep up with anything you throw at it.

More Google services

In this initial rollout of Google's fiber internet, there are some hints of how established services will be integrated. For example, all paying users of Google's fiber will get free access to 1TB of cloud storage through Google Drive. Being plugged right into Google's backbone will probably make the experience of using Drive particularly phenomenal, as well.

Drive Android will also be a big part of Google's ISP angle. The TV + gigabit internet package will come with a free Nexus 7 Android tablet. The device will just be a remote control at first, but I would bet that network management and account tools are going to come to Android. Google Play video might also make an appearance as yet another video source. Imagine that the free Nexus 7 could be used to beam video to your fancy fiber TV box. Maybe the Nexus Q was just a beta test for this system.

Most carriers are happy to charge obscene amounts of money for VoIP services, and Google seems to have a ready-made alternative waiting in the wings. Google Voice doesn't work entirely through VoIP on mobile devices, but the tie-in with calls placed from Gmail on your computer are all IP voice. Google has the backend to handle this, so perhaps a Google Voice home phone service will come to Google Fiber, if it's a success.

Amazing value and competition

Odds are that your local ISP does not offer 1Gbps symmetrical internet access. If it does, the cost is probably nowhere near the low price Google is looking to charge. 1Gbps Google Fiber is going to cost just $70 per month. That is 60-70 times faster than my similarly priced Comcast connection.

Fiber Rabbit Because most of the high-speed internet access in the US market is based on the copper laid down by cable operators, there is minimal competition. Unlike the slower DSL lines, cable operators are not required to give other companies access to the cable going into your home. The result of this is that prices are higher. Google Fiber entering a market is sure to send those prices right back down.

It gets better: For people that don't need a super-fast connection, Google is offering a 5Mbps connection for free — yes, free. If Google Fiber expands, there's no guarantee that this will remain the case, but it could totally upset the market for entry-level broadband. Even the "catch" isn't that much of a catch. Google is planning on charging a one-time $300 fee to run the fiber to each residence, but if you opt for a contract, the fee is waived. Free accounts will have to pay the installation fee, unfortunately.

Google was careful to point out that the technology it is using could go beyond 1Gbps. Future iterations of Google Fiber could deliver even faster speeds for almost no extra cost. Your current ISP would do well to be concerned.

Google keeps itself honest

Let's cut to the chase here. Google isn't rolling out fiber in Kansas City to make a boatload of money. The fact of the matter is that, as more people use the internet, the better it is for Google. There are so many opportunities for you to encounter Google's ads and services, and that's where the money comes from. By increasing access to fast connections, Google is investing in its traditional business.

For Google's business to remain strong, it needs us to use the services and feed in more data. However, Google knows full well that if it loses the public's trust, its business goes down the tubes. It simply cannot afford to do anything untoward as an ISP unless it wants to risk its real source of income: our data.

Google Fiber Just look at all the ways the company is already putting us at ease. You are able to get monthly activity reports on your account, for example. If you have location services turned on in your account, Google will actually email you occasionally to remind you that location can be disabled. There is even a "takeout tool" to export all your user data and completely delete your account. There is an entire division at Google called the Data Liberation Front that exists solely to make sure you can take your data out of the Google machine.

Your ISP always knows the most about your online activities, and sometimes that data isn't protected as it should be. If a government requests user data, most ISPs just hand it over. Google is often put in the same position, but it actually denies some of those requests. The transparency report makes is clear that Mountain View will only release data when it considers the request valid.

Google as an ISP is a good thing. The network it is building will be free of caps and shady, non-neutral practices. Even though its own services are going to be well-integrated, they won't be given preferential treatment over offerings from other companies. Look at the way Google is working with Netflix in spite of its YouTube and Fiber TV products. A bit will just be a bit in Google's tubes.

Google is in a unique position to drive competition and innovation among the complacent cable operators. This whole endeavor is supported by the collective trust most users have in Google, so it has a built-in incentive to behave responsibly as an ISP. That's why you should want Google as your next ISP.

If you live in one of the Kansas Cities, make sure you sign up at the Google Fiber website.