<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/03/04/285764961/frustrated-cities-take-high-speed-internet-into-their-own-hands">http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/03/04/285764961/frustrated-cities-take-high-speed-internet-into-their-own-hands</a><div>
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College Station is right in the middle of Texas — a few hours by car from Austin, Dallas and Houston and home to Texas A&M, a major research university. But if you're in the market for high-speed Internet access, College Station can feel like the middle of nowhere.</p>
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"It's been pretty bleak. You get too far from the university, and it's nothing," says Andrew Duggleby, co-founder of Exosent Engineering, a company that designs and builds tanker trucks for the oil industry.</p>
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"We're doing three-dimensional computer-aided design, big 3-D models," he says. "So here we are, this super-advanced engineering company, with all these technologies — but then it can't get past the walls."</p>
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There is no high-speed Internet access in Exosent's part of College Station, Duggleby says. If he wants to show one of his 3-D models to a client for review, he has to copy the files onto a portable hard drive and put it in the mail.</p>
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James Benham, a city councilman in College Station, is worried that high-tech jobs are fleeing to Austin and other cities with faster and cheaper broadband. "We have lost countless companies to other towns because we cannot provide the level and cost of connectivity," Benham says.</p>
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Even in central Texas — not exactly a hotbed of activist government — cities are thinking seriously about how to upgrade their broadband infrastructure.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
"We have to deliver consistent electricity and water. I think we have to lump [connectivity] in with the critical infrastructure that we at least have an obligation to think about and plan for," Benham says. "The worst thing, I think, a city could do is sit back and do nothing and wait."</p>
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<strong style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">The Private Approach</strong></p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
Right now, only a handful of American cities have superfast fiber-optic networks. Many others are looking on with "visceral jealousy," says Susan Crawford, a visiting professor of intellectual property at Harvard Law School. "And it's disrupting what has otherwise been a very smooth, unbroken, complacent approach to communications in America."</p>
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Crawford says cities need to take the lead on building fiber-optic networks because most private broadband providers don't think it's economically worthwhile.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
But cable and telecom companies dispute that. Comcast recently said it would offer faster speeds — but only when consumers demand it.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
So far, the demand simply doesn't justify the massive investment, says Fred Campbell, director of the nonprofit Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
"The rush to fiber may be foolhardy," Campbell says. "There's a notion that we should adopt a 'build it and they will come' strategy. But it can be more efficient in the long run to meet demand as it occurs."</p>
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There is one private company that's making a very big bet on very high speeds: Google. The company is offering to pay for the construction of fiber networks that can deliver speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
Google Fiber started in Kansas City and is expanding to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, this year. Kevin Lo, manager of Google Fiber, says those cities were picked carefully, based partly on their willingness to streamline their regulations and make it easier for Google to build.</p>
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"Building these fiber networks is really hard. It requires hundreds, if not thousands of miles of brand new construction," Lo says. "It has the potential to be really disruptive to local communities who aren't ready for it."</p>
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Google Fiber recently said it may expand to <a href="https://fiber.google.com/newcities/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(71,116,204);text-decoration:none">nine more metropolitan areas</a>, including Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., Phoenix and Portland, Ore.</p>
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Related NPR Links</h3><div id="res285829740" class="" style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:auto;clear:none;max-width:none;overflow:hidden;background-color:transparent">
<div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;overflow:hidden"><a id="featuredStackSquareImage272480919" href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/02/06/272480919/when-it-comes-to-high-speed-internet-u-s-falling-way-behind" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(109,138,196);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/02/06/istock_000002284843small_sq-e11987d9f90b78bb510db343aa64070ff826a000-s11.jpg" class="" title="Susan Crawford says that in cities like Seoul and Stockholm, high-speed, high-capacity networks are taken for granted. "It really is astonishing what's going on in America," she says. "We're falling way behind in the pack of developed nations when it comes to high-speed Internet access, capacity and prices."" alt="Susan Crawford says that in cities like Seoul and Stockholm, high-speed, high-capacity networks are taken for granted. "It really is astonishing what's going on in America," she says. "We're falling way behind in the pack of developed nations when it comes to high-speed Internet access, capacity and prices."" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block; float: left; width: 80px;"></a><div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 80px;padding:9px 11px 9px 17px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;min-height:62px;background-color:rgb(224,224,224)">
<h3 class="" style="margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:1.1rem;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.273;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:1.1rem;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(102,102,102);text-decoration:none">All Tech Considered</a></h3>
<h3 style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:1.1rem;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.273;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/02/06/272480919/when-it-comes-to-high-speed-internet-u-s-falling-way-behind" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:bold;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(109,138,196);text-decoration:none">Author: When It Comes To High-Speed Internet, U.S. 'Falling Way Behind'</a></h3>
</div></div></div><div id="res285830602" class="" style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:auto;clear:none;max-width:none;overflow:hidden;background-color:transparent">
<div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;overflow:hidden"><a id="featuredStackSquareImage261924972" href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/01/12/261924972/internet-in-america-an-on-again-off-again-relationship" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(109,138,196);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/01/12/comcast_sq-621a3d531b28c733f5bb4eb4c58234713a844e7b-s11.jpg" class="" title="Comcast is the largest cable company and home Internet service provider in the United States. A recent survey found that many Americans give Internet service providers low marks for satisfaction." alt="Comcast is the largest cable company and home Internet service provider in the United States. A recent survey found that many Americans give Internet service providers low marks for satisfaction." style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block; float: left; width: 80px;"></a><div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 80px;padding:9px 11px 9px 17px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;min-height:62px;background-color:rgb(224,224,224)">
<h3 class="" style="margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:1.1rem;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.273;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:1.1rem;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(102,102,102);text-decoration:none">All Tech Considered</a></h3>
<h3 style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:1.1rem;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.273;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/01/12/261924972/internet-in-america-an-on-again-off-again-relationship" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:bold;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(109,138,196);text-decoration:none">Internet In America: An On Again, Off Again Relationship</a></h3>
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<strong style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Cities Take The Helm</strong></p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
But even if Google Fiber built out to all of them, professor Susan Crawford says it would still only reach 3 percent of American homes.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
"When it comes to the national picture for high-speed Internet access, Google is barely a ripple on the surface," she says. "They're choosing places where they know they'll do well. And they're hoping that other companies and other cities will take up this mantle."</p>
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Indeed, cities that have been left out of Google Fiber are thinking about how to do something similar on their own.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
Ted Smith, chief of economic growth and innovation for Louisville, Ky., says when the new Google cities were announced, he got hundreds of emails asking why the city wasn't chosen. Louisville, he says, is actively looking for a broadband provider to build a fiber network.</p>
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"We've certainly sent the bat signal up to the sky to let people know that we will be easy to do business with," Smith says.</p><p style="margin:0px 74.234375px 1.3em auto;padding:0px 15px;border:0px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.6rem;line-height:1.5;vertical-align:baseline;float:none;min-height:1px;width:690px;color:rgb(17,17,17);max-width:690px">
One thing Louisville will not do, Smith says, is pay for the network itself. But Chattanooga, Tenn., did: The city's publicly owned electric company recently spent upward of $300 million on a new fiber-optic network. Chattanooga's mayor, Andy Berke, says the high speeds are helping attract new businesses to his city.</p>
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"If, as a country, we're going to participate in this next round of innovation, we have to make sure the infrastructure exists," Berke says. "Someone's going to have to do this. And it makes sense that cities are going to lead the way."</p>
<div><br></div><div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr">Glenn McKnight<br><a href="mailto:mcknight.glenn@gmail.com" target="_blank">mcknight.glenn@gmail.com</a><br>skype  gmcknight<br>twitter gmcknight<br>.</div></div>
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