Google Brings Ultra High Speed Fiber to Kansas

By Ryan Ayers
Updated: May 02, 2012

Google announced yesterday that it has chosen Kansas City, KS as the partner community for its project in developing ultra-high speed internet connectivity. Last year, Google announced the project and received solicitations from more than 1,100 cities across the country interested in partnering with the tech giant for this project.

Google’s project focuses on delivering Internet access to the public that is more than 100 times faster than the average connection today. The switch from dial up to broadband has enabled massive advances in streaming video, music distribution, video conferencing, and other technologies on the web and Google sees this next generation gigabit web experience as a similar stepping stone to future technologies.

The selection of potential cities to participate in this pilot program was based on factors such as accessibility and cooperation with local public utilities and municipal departments, as well as the logistic issues that would allow for efficient construction and deployment of the fiber optic network. Pending approval from Kansas City’s Board of Commissioners, Google hopes to offer service by 2012.

Google is also quick to remind applicant cities that showed interest in this program that Kansas City is simply the first city participating in such programs, and not the only one. Google hopes to have success in their pilot project and to bring the ultra-high speed fiber optic network to more interested cities soon.