While consumers and businesses show ever-more interest in ultra high-speed broadband, no service provider relishes the pain points of being out there digging up the streets and the flowerbeds to install fiber for Gigabit Internet services. It’s all well and good when it’s done, but the process is beyond irksome (to put it mildly) to the locals — not to mention darn expensive for broadband providers as well (to put it mildly). So, how much of that sting can be minimized by wireless broadband options?
The interest around that issue has had the internet a bit aflutter in the last few days caused by an FCC filing by Google on Aug. 5. In that redacted document, the company asks for authorization “to operate in and adjacent to the 3550-3700 MHz band that has been opened for innovative small-cell spectrum sharing by CBRS devices. Google requests authorization to operate on frequencies down to 3400 MHz and up to 3800 MHz so that [REDACTED]. Authority to operate in this range will ensure that Google has access to sufficient spectrum for experimentation while avoiding interference to incumbent operations.”
Google further requests authorization to conduct testing in up to 24 U.S. areas. It reveals plans to deploy initially in California in Atwater, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Bruno, San Francisco and San Jose as well as in Boulder, Colo., Kansas City, Kan., Omaha, Neb., Raleigh, N.C., Provo, Utah and Reston, Va.
Business Insider was the first to break the news about the filing. A Google spokesperson told Business Insider: “We are working to test the viability of a wireless network that relies on newly available spectrum. The project is in early stages today, but we hope this technology can one day help deliver more abundant internet access to consumers.”
In related news, according to a recent San Jose Mercury News article, Google told two Silicon Valley cities that it is putting its ultra high-speed service plans on ice while the it looks into a less expensive option. That newspaper reports the company planned to begin digging in San Jose last month, “but nearly 100 employees hired to install Google Fiber were pulled into an office and told the project was being delayed, according to workers.”
