Free internet. That's rather creepy from Google. When they roll this big it would hurt other providers, which in itself isn't bad, but having only Google as a choice is. Can they even do that by the way (anti-monopoly regulations)?
"Can they even do that by the way (anti-monopoly regulations)?"
Yes - Google does not (A) Have a monopoly in providing Internet to the home and (B) they are not attempting to leverage their monopoly in search (which they _are_ pretty close to having) in order to achieve dominance in another market.
I think they are clear from an anti-trust position.
They'll have a hell of a time getting in other cities in the first place. AT&T and the major cablecos typically have an absolute, legally-sanctioned stranglehold on their markets.
But up until now there have been no clear alternatives when citizens try to fight those sanctioned monopolies.
If Google is offering 100x the speed in another city, Time Warner, Comcast, AT&T etc. will have a hard time explaining why they should retain their monopoly unless they offered something competitive.
Exclusive franchises, building permits, neighborhood associations, etc. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T have been playing this game for a long time. It'll take fighting through tons of telco/cableco-paid for local laws for Google to get in anywhere; just because they've made it in one city won't make the next any easier (in fact, probably harder). I hope Google (or someone else) pulls it off, but it's not going to be easy by any means.
That only seems to apply to dumping as an action by international firms, intended to damage domestic companies, and the rights domestic companies have to address it. It's not strictly applicable between two local firms competing for customers.
I see, I don't think there's a difference between domestic/foreign firm when it comes to dumping in EU. I think that you can't operate with loss in order to crush competition. But Google might have it covered with other sources of revenue coming from "free" users.
The big difference is say a Japanese Steel maker dumps a bunch of foreign steel on the US market, then suddenly disappears... there's a structural crisis because the US steel industry has to rebuild from scratch. Or that's the argument anyway.
