Google has picked Kansas City, Kansas for its gigabit speed fiber build-out project, which was first announced in February 2010.
Nearly 1,100 communities across the country expressed interest in participating in the Google project and nearly 200,000 individuals submitted comments.
Google has signed a development agreement with Kansas City and will be working with local organizations, businesses and universities, including Kauffman Foundation, KCNext and the University of Kansas Medical Center to help develop the gigabit applications of the future. Google will provide free access to schools and city facilities.
Pricing for the gigabit speed home service has not been disclosed, but Google said it would be “competitive.”
Construction is expected to start later this year and the first services are expected to come online in 2012.
“This project represents the future of how we connect to the web, and we want it to start in Kansas City,” said Milo Medin, Vice President for Access Services at Google.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/http://www.google.com/fiber/kansascityks/index.html
- In December 2010, Google appointed Milo Medin as Vice President, Access Services.
Google also said that it has delayed the selection of its first fiber community. Nearly 1,100 communities across the country have sought to participate in the Google fiber project, and the company said it needs more time to make its selection. Milo Medin previously served as co-founder of Chief Technology Officer of Excite@Home, a pioneer in residential broadband service, and later at M2Z Networks.
