Yup, we all heard — Google is getting into the broadband business. Are the lobbyists having any trouble finding FCC doors to bang down with all that snow blanketing D.C.?
We’ve seen a few surprising signs lately that Google is trying to move into Telco Town. In the wake of the iPad snarkfest, how soon have we forgotten the media flop that was the Nexus One? (Sorry, Team Googs, but I think Apple successfully stole the new product release show that week)
What went wrong there? Oh yeah, Google sort of forgot they might have to provide customer service for a device they sell, which makes it all the more interesting that they’re staking their claim in the service provider (emphasis intentional) market.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it seems to me this might be rooted in the Google Voice/iPhone flap from last year, when Apple rejected/conveniently never approved the Google Voice app for the iPhone (allegedly for aesthetic reasons, but we can all see why Apple’s partner with the iPhone, AT&T wouldn’t have been eager to have customers use their unlimited data plans to make calls and never worry about voice charges again).
Granted, Google is only looking at fiber in the ground now… but if Google leverages this into a wireless network, who are they going to answer to? Who’s going to stop them from taking everyone’s voice customers?
(Image courtesy of adrants.com)