This has been the year of the telecom companies.
Comcast, AT&T and Google Fiber have not only announced their plans to deploy competing gigabit-speed Internet services in Nashville — they’ve also been vying for the attention of the city’s business, nonprofit and political leaders. Wednesday morning brought another example of that, when Google Fiber gave the keynote speech at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting.
Google Fiber vice president Dennis Kish expounded the benefits of fast Internet — and specifically Google Fiber — for businesses. At one point in his presentation, he held up a piece of copper cable, then a piece of fiber-optic cable, which transmits data much faster.
“I think you can see where I’m going with this,” he told a few hundred Chamber members. “Copper was great, but Fiber is coming.”
His speech didn’t mention that Google’s two competitors, Comcast and AT&T, are already installing gigabit-speed Internet around Nashville. AT&T representatives note the company has had fiber-optic cable in the city since the 1980s.
The Chamber of Commerce wasn’t trying to promote one company over another by inviting Google to speak at its annual meeting, says spokesman Mark Drury. It believes fast Internet in general is a boon for business, and it’s working with AT&T and Comcast on other Chamber initiatives.
“I think that they understand that, and that there’s going to be time at the podium for all the companies that are investing in Nashville,” Drury says.
All three telecom companies have been spending a lot of time at podiums around the city. In May, for example, AT&T invited the mayor and a country music singer to launch its GigaPower service. A few weeks ago, Comcast and Google Fiber announced they would both contribute $100,000 to a Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee fund to help low-income families get Internet access.
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