Google names next areas for Kansas City Fiber in early 2013
updated 02:52 pm EST, Mon December 17, 2012
Residents have new deadlines to choose Fiber plans
Google has announced the next areas to get gigabit Internet access in Kansas City. Five more "fiberhoods" will see the high-speed connection rolled out in early 2013, with the search giant setting deadlines for residents requesting installation in those areas to choose their package before construction work begins.
Residents of Piper Schools have until the end of January to choose, while Delaware Ridge, Painted Hills, and Open Door have until mid to late February, and Arrowhead has until March 7th to decide their plans, according to the company blog. Households have the choice between a $70 Internet-only service, a combined gigabit Internet and TV package for $120 per month, or a 5Mbps connection with no monthly charges for seven years but includes a $300 construction fee.
While the build-out of the network in Kansas City takes place, speculation has already turned towards a national Google Fiber service. Analysts suggest that it would cost Google over $140 billion to construct such a system, though this does not seem to deter the company from thinking about it. Chairman Eric Schmidt called Google Fiber "not an experiment – we're running it as a business," in an on-stage discussion picked up by Venture Beat. Fiber deployment could take place in "hopefully more cities if we're able to expand our service," said Schmidt, without revealing how long it could be until the next Google Fiber city gets announced.
