ExitEvent and WRALTechWire are cooperating in presenting news about the region’s entrepreneurial sector. Today, entrepreneur Jivan Achreja offers his analysis on what Google Fiber could mean to the Triangle.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – High Speed internet is the lifeblood of our entire society. Gigabit speed internet would be crucial to our area, especially for entrepreneurs. Right now, the state of the United States internet is pretty bleak. Globally, the U.S. ranks 8th in connection speeds, having an average of 9.8 Mbps throughout the country. South Korea in comparison, is ranked first with an average of 22.1 Mbps. There is a very clear need for faster internet throughout the entire country, and the battle for broadband dominance in North Carolina is happening right now.
On February 19th, Google announced that Raleigh, Charlotte and seven other cities are on the short list for next cities that might get Google Fiber. Interestingly enough, this announcement is on the heels of an acquisition announcement of Time Warner Cable by Comcast, for $45.2 billion. Google Fiber could be the next big broadband player locally here in N.C. as early as two years from now. The announcement though, is not as simple as one would hope.
None of the nine cities on the short list have actually been chosen yet. Google Fiber, along with each potential community, will have a lot of hard work to bring the service to the area. In the same vein, the Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger has NOT been approved by the FCC.
The complete blog can be read online.
(C) ExitEvent
