Highly Anticipated Google Fiber Plan for Kansas City Unveiled

Calling it the "next phase of the Internet", Google announced the details of the roll out of its ultrahigh-speed Internet network this week, which will offer speeds 100 times faster than typical broadband connections to residents of Kansas City.

1 minute read

July 27, 2012, 11:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Selected last year as the lucky city to host Google's experimental foray into the world of broadband providers, an initial round of 170,000 homes in the Kansas City area will have the option of purchasing the gigabit Internet service, known as Google Fiber, for $70 a month, reports John Eligon. 

Viewed by skeptics as "a publicity stunt that will do little to advance the country's broadband agenda," the project, which was delayed by a dispute about how and where to run fiber optic lines earlier in the year, is being viewed by analysts as an attempt by the company to "flex its muscle in Washington, where policy makers have been criticized for being slow to deliver national broadband."

According to Eligon, "Google executives said they were hoping to bring Internet speeds
up to date with existing technology, noting that the current average
household broadband speed was only slightly faster than it was 16 years
ago when it was first introduced in homes."

"The next phase of the
Internet, the next chapter of the Internet is written here today,"
Patrick Pichette, Google's chief financial officer, said in an interview
after a presentation that included video demonstrations.

A competition to register interested homeowners in various "fiberhoods," will determine who will get first access to
the service in the fall.

 

Thursday, July 26, 2012 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Looking out at trees on 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism

After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

6 hours ago - Torched

White and blue Sacramento regional transit bus with one bike on front bike rack.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras

The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

6 hours ago - Streetsblog California

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum

Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.

April 23 - Next City