SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Google Fiber is hitting the pause button on discussion with "potential fiber cities", and will lay off about 9% of its approximately 1,500 employees. Craig Barratt, the CEO of Alphabet's Access division, is also stepping down.
After rolling out its Fiber product in about a dozen cities, Google is hitting pause on its project to deploy superfast Internet across the country. The news may come as a disappointment to those who were hoping the search giant would bring competition and faster speeds to their area.
[...] Even as Google Fiber pays lots of money to lay down cables and secure access to TV programming, a different type of technology is coming down the pike: wireless fiber. [...] There are signs that Google is moving in this direction, too. In June, it acquired Webpass, a provider of wireless broadband. Other acquisitions support this theory. And in its announcement Tuesday, Google Fiber said it would be looking at "new technology and deployment methods to make superfast Internet more abundant than it is today." So even if Google Fiber is on hold in its current incarnation, changes in technology may someday reduce the costs Google faces today.
Comcast and AT&T are still trying to hinder Google Fiber access to utility poles in Nashville. Both ISPs have filed suit against the Metro Government of Nashville for passing a "One Touch Make Ready" ordinance that benefits Google Fiber.
Previously: Google Fiber Gets Rid of "Free" Service in Kansas City
Costly Google Fiber Service Being Scaled Back in Favor of Google Wireless
Nashville Officials Approve Ordinance to Give Google Fiber Faster Access to Utility Poles
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday October 28 2016, @10:52PM
> could easily be cut by 40 percentage points
And cause one hell of a recession in the process... The main advantage of being paranoid about building weapons is the amount of domestic work it creates, typically in good stable jobs.
Should it be cut? Sure, but the only reasonable approach would be to trim over a couple decades (deny overall growth, trim political-related expenses).
Oddly, we should thank Duterte, Trump, and a few Japanese-teen-rapists for their contribution to reducing excess overseas deployments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 29 2016, @01:09AM
In recent days, I've mentioned how militarism actually has a poor Multiplier Effect.
Since I first posted here, I've been mentioning how The New Deal had an excellent Multiplier Effect.
When militarism is cut, you put those folks to work on INFRASTRUCTURE, rebuilding the nation's crumbling roads and bridges and water systems and schools and all the other stuff that's falling to pieces.
While we're at it, put unemployed IT workers to the task of securing our poorly secured online infrastructure.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]