Pulling a cable from the internet backbone

The backbone of the internet between San Francisco and Seattle goes in to the basement of the Pittock Block in downtown Portland. From there, it goes out to local providers who service Portland and the surrounding area. I first heard about this building a couple of years ago when Cabel Sasser took some amazing photos down in the basement.

When my realtor brought me there and the building manager described the data center, and the connectivity options in the building, I jumped at the opportunity to get an office in this building. We’re moving in to a 1600 sq ft space on the top floor in October. To get internet service for our office, we have a choice of about 16 fiber providers and 31 other providers. We pick one, make a deal with them and can have Cat5 (or fiber) cable run up to the office to connect us to the rest of the world.

What is it even like to be this close to the internet?

After moving from New York where I had Verizon Fios to Portland where I have Comcast at home, I’ve been disappointed by the stability of Comcast’s service (most noticeable when it hangs when video conferencing).

I’m expecting good things from internet service in our new office. I’ll let you know how it goes.