In 2007 Google purchased 1,000 extra acres across from its mull million dollar Council Bluff communication center in Iowa and today they are attempting to get permission and permits to place an extensive array of satellite antennas on the property. The antennas would would provide data, digital audio, and digital video signals to users of the Google Fiber service and would broadcast in both C-band and Ku band.
The collection of antennas would be highly visible on the property as they are over 12 feet in diameter and need to be placed in an open area. The initial request for registration of the devices was denied by the Federal Communication Commission in early February due to existing guidelines.
Here’s a segment from that letter to Google fiber Inc. from the FCC:
“Second, we dismiss the request for “ALSAT” as a point of communication for receive- only operations in the extended Ku-bands of 10.95-11.2 GHz and 11.45-11.7 GHz.2 The Commission has previously held that an “ALSAT” designation can be granted only to earth stations operating in conventional C-band and conventional Ku-band frequencies”.
While I am sure Google will get this antenna business squared away most fans are just curious how soon Google will offer a video service that could compete with what cable and satellite television providers are already offering. The Google super-speed internet project was started over two years ago and Google claims they are ready to go.
