Provo To Google Fiber: Let’s Make A Deal

Google Fiber (CTDaily, 03/21/13) made out like a bandit this week, touting Provo, Utah, as its latest venue. Google plunked down one whopping dollar bill to buy the ill-fated iProvo fiber network (estimated to have cost nearly $40 million to construct) but closing costs are a bit more for the seller. Wire reports say Provo will have to foot a $1.7 million bill to revamp the network before Google can take possession. Although the city says its pre-sale costs are less than continuing to own the network, fluffing costs look like this: $500,000 to find existing fiber that never were mapped; $500,000 for an insurance policy to cover repairs to any damaged cabling; and $700,000 to upgrade a piece of iProvo the city will lease from Google. If nothing else, Google Fiber’s march into Kansas City, Provo and Austin has gotten incumbents to think a little bit faster, and to cut over competing products and services in those areas. Just yesterday, Time Warner Cable flipped the switch on TWC WiFi, a citywide Wi-Fi hot-spot network for its customers in Austin.