What is Google Looking For?Google states their goal as deploying a fiber optic network efficiently and quickly. They will identify communities interested in: - working to achieve the goal of deploying a network efficiently and quickly
- providing significant benefit to residents
- developing useful proof of concepts that can have broader impact
We also know that this is a two part application process. One where the local government needs to respond and one where community members and organizations can respond. This experiments needs to provide the following results: - Next generation applications: What can be done with ultra high speeds that has never been thought of, this is where our creativity can bubble up.
- New deployment techniques: They want to test ideas and experiment with new technology and then share those key lessons learned with others.
- Openness and choice: They want an open access network where the user has the opportunity to pick which provider. The network will be open and transparent as they have been with all their other products.
Nomination Form IdeasAlthough the Google Application form has only a few required fields, it
would help to have some ideas on what to write about. The key questions
you need to answer are your name, city, state and the big question:
Why should Google build a fiber to
the home
network where you live?
Now, we could tell you why, but how about we give you a few suggestions
and ideas to get your mind thinking about the reasons why
The possibilities and opportunities this would provide our community are
endless. Here are some examples of the Grand Rapids assets that would
benefit from access to ultra high-speed:
- Small- to mid-sized businesses and their support systems
- State of the art health care systems organizations
-
3 growing medical facilities are located in downtown Grand Rapids,
referred to as the Medical
Mile. There is more than one billion
dollars worth of construction either underway on or planned for the
Medical Mile on Grand Rapids' Michigan Street.
- Construction
and ribbon-cutting is completed on the expansion of the Van Andel Institute. The Institute, founded in
1996,
is a medical research facility where hundreds of scientists and
students
from all over the world focus on biomedical science and education
- An arts community
that is recognized world-wide for it’s innovation and participation
- ArtPrize, introduced in 2009, brought
over 1200 artists to Grand Rapids, competing for a top prize of
$250,000.
The winners are determined via on-line voting by visitors and
residents
of the greater Grand Rapids community who registered in person
during
the event.
- A vibrant and growing arts community.. new opera
building, amazing
ballet, wonderful local theater and music, UICA.
- World class Community Media Center which has transformed our
Wealthy
Theatre, WYCE radio and brought us the Rapidian. Our community is a
beacon to all other Access Centers in the US and Internationally as
well.
What is Fiber?Fiber Optic is a medium in which data can be transmitted using light. Typically made from glass, although some fiber is plastic, the light is transmitted in pulses. Data is transmitted at the speed of light. Advantage of Fiber OpticsCompared to copper wire (which is what most of us have to our house today), optical fibers are: - Less expensive - Several miles of optical cable can
be made cheaper than equivalent lengths of copper wire.
- Thinner - Optical fibers can be drawn to
smaller diameters than copper wire.
- Higher carrying capacity - Because optical
fibers are thinner than copper wires, more fibers can be bundled into a
given-diameter cable than copper wires. This allows more phone lines to
go over the same cable or more channels to come through the cable into
your cable TV box.
- Less signal degradation - The loss of
signal in optical fiber is less than in copper wire.
- Light signals - Unlike electrical signals
in copper wires, light signals from one fiber do not interfere with
those of other fibers in the same cable. This means clearer phone
conversations or TV reception.
- Low power - Because signals in optical
fibers degrade less, lower-power transmitters can be used instead of the
high-voltage electrical transmitters needed for copper wires.
- Digital signals - Optical fibers are
ideally suited for carrying digital information, which is especially
useful in computer networks.
- Non-flammable - Because no electricity is
passed through optical fibers, there is no fire hazard.
- Lightweight - An optical cable weighs less
than a comparable copper wire cable. Fiber-optic cables take up less
space in the ground.
- Flexible - Because fiber optics are so
flexible and can transmit and receive light, they are used in many
flexible digital
cameras for the following purposes:
- Medical imaging - in bronchoscopes, endoscopes,
laparoscopes
- Mechanical imaging - inspecting mechanical
welds in pipes and engines
- Plumbing - to inspect sewer
lines
Information provided by: HowStuffWorks.com
Why Fiber to the Home?Consumer bandwidth demands are growing at
an enormously high rate, and are projected to grow for years to come. Consider
the following....
- In 2013,
Internet video will be nearly 700 times the U.S. Internet backbone in
2000. It would take well over half a million years to watch all the
online video that will cross the network each month in 2013. Internet
video will generate over 18 exabytes per month in 2013.
- Internet video is now approximately one-third of all consumer
Internet traffic, not including the amount of video exchanged through
P2P file sharing. In 2010, Internet video will surpass P2P in volume.
This will be the first time since 2000 that any application has
displaced P2P as the top traffic driver.
- The sum of all forms of video (TV, video on demand, Internet, and
P2P) will account for over 91 percent of global consumer traffic by
2013. Internet video alone will account for over 60 percent of all
consumer Internet traffic in 2013.
- Video communications traffic growth is accelerating. Though still a
small fraction of overall Internet traffic, video over instant messaging
and video calling are experiencing high growth. Video communications
traffic will increase ten-fold from 2008 to 2013.
- Real-time video is growing in importance. Internet TV, video
communications, and ambient video are all high-growth application
categories. By 2013, Internet TV will be over 4 percent of consumer
Internet traffic, and ambient video will be 8 percent of consumer
Internet traffic. Live TV has gained substantial ground in the past few
years: globally, P2P TV is now slightly over 7 percent of overall P2P
traffic at over 200 petabytes per month.
- Video-on-demand (VoD) traffic will double every two years through
2013. The twin trends of on-demand viewing and high-definition video are
generating very rapid growth in cable video and IPTV traffic
transported over IP in the metro. Consumer IPTV and CATV traffic will
grow at a 53 percent CAGR between 2008 and 2013, compared to a CAGR of
40 percent for consumer Internet traffic.
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