Google is set to replace its frustrating to use Wi-Fi network in Mountain View with one that is smaller but more capable.
On Tuesday night, the Mountain View City Council enthusiastically approved a new five-year agreement that will see Google turn the downtown corridor into a free outdoor wireless hotspot.
Council members also accepted a $500,000 grant from the Mountain View-based company to install and maintain Wi-Fi networks at the community center, library, teen center, senior center and Rengstorff Park.
The agreement paves the way for Google to dismantle the existing wireless system that covers 80 to 90 percent of the city. Among the first of its kind in the U.S. when it was launched eight years ago, the system is now plagued with reliability and performance issues.
“As you can imagine the changes in technology since 2005 — when this was first initiated — to today have been tremendous and the system simply has not been able to keep up with the demands for speed and data that occur on today’s devices,” City Manager Dan Rich told the council.
Council members, however, said they were thankful for the network.
“I think it was a very generous thing for Google to do,” Councilman Jac Siegel told Google spokeswoman Veronica Bell. “You got data from it, but we also got free Wi-Fi for quite a bit of time.”
Siegel also pointed out that Google had the option to take down the network with just 180 days notice and “walk away.”
“At this point in time, you certainly have the option to say, ‘I’m not going to provide anything,’ ” he said.
In response to Councilwoman Margaret Abe Koga’s concerns about the lack of tech support for the existing system, Bell said a product group will be devoted to the downtown hotspot.
The hotspot will cover Castro Street between El Camino Real and Evelyn Avenue. Bell stressed that it wouldn’t extend to the interiors of businesses.
“If an individual business owner wants to go buy a booster, we obviously can’t stop it, but we certainly are not recommending that,” she said.
Mountain View resident Don Letcher urged the City Council to reject the deal and instead push Google to beef up the existing Wi-Fi network.
“It just smacks of almost a bribe,” said Letcher.
“It’s slanted to taking something away from all of the residents and giving more to the council and the council’s little areas.”
Councilman Mike Kasperzak dismissed the notion that removing the existing system would impact many residents.
“I think most people now, especially in their houses, have gotten their own service providers for interior stuff,” he said.
The agreement and grant follow Google’s announcement that it has invited Mountain View and 33 other cities to begin talks on joining its ultrafast home Internet service known as Google Fiber.
“This stands on its own with or without Google Fiber,” Rich said about the agreement and grant. “If that does come in at a later date, it might end up superseding some of these things here.”
Email Jason Green at jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/jgreendailynews.
