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Google Fiber, the super-high-speed Internet and cable TV service that debuted in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., in the fall of 2012, is now spreading to another 28 neighborhoods in those communities as part of its growing rollout.
For residents in the 28 additional neighborhoods, Google Fiber has set up deadline dates to sign up to be included in the new service areas, according to an Aug. 5 post by Rachel Hack, Google Fiber community manager, on the Google Fiber Blog.
“New books, new classrooms, new teachers, new subjects—and a new ultra-fast Internet connection!” wrote Hack. “This year, you can help your kids learn at home by signing up for Google Fiber and giving them access to the Internet at speeds that are up to 100 times faster than today’s average broadband.”
Residents in the 28 neighborhoods where the service is expanding are being asked to review the available service plans and sign up for the plan of their choice by the deadline dates for each community. The deadlines start on Sept. 5 for the Maple Hill, Highland Park, West Waldo, Western Hills, West Plaza South and Scarritt Point North neighborhoods.
The Boone Hills, Santa Fe Hills, Eastern 49-63, Leeds/Dunbar, Plaza Westport and Lea Manor neighborhoods have a Sept. 12 deadline, while a Sept. 19 deadline has been set up for the Cambridge Circle, Shawnee Drive, Strawberry Hill, Noble Prentis, William White, Riverview Park, Wyandotte High School, Welborn Park and Quindaro neighborhoods.
There’s a Sept. 26 deadline for the Parkwood Park, Downtown, Rosedale Arch, Pearson School, Armourdale, Pendleton Heights and Southmoreland neighborhoods, according to Hack’s post.
Meanwhile, the nearby community of Prairie Village, Kan., which is southwest of Kansas City, has told Google that it would like to get Google Fiber service, according to another Aug. 5 post by Hack on the Google Fiber Blog.
“Tonight, the Prairie Village, Kansas City Council voted to bring Fiber to their city,” wrote Hack. “Prairie Village residents have been asking for Fiber for awhile, and we can’t wait to bring it to them in the future; as soon as we have more information about timing, we’ll post it right here.”
Google Fiber Continues Kansas City Area Service Expansion
Google has been circulating a mobile Google Fiber demonstration trailer around the Kansas City area to show off the technology and its features, according to a July 24 post by Annie Thompson, Fiber’s events and programming manager, on the Fiber blog.
The specially equipped demonstration trailer lets visitors see for themselves how Fiber works and demonstrates its speed and features, including HD-quality television and high-speed Internet access.
“If you’ve been meaning to get to the Fiber Space but haven’t had a chance yet, keep an eye on your local streets—we might be bringing our brand new Mobile Google Fiber Space to your neighborhood,” wrote Thompson. “The Mobile Google Fiber Space will be traveling throughout Kansas City, equipped to answer your questions about what Fiber is and how you can get it. Come relax in our portable living room.”
Visitors can experiment with the service offerings and can sign up for service, she wrote. Prospective visitors to the trailer can find out where it will be on the Mobile Google Fiber Space events calendar or through its Google+, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Google Fiber’s expansion has been steady since the Kansas City deployment began last year. In April, Google announced that it will bring the service to Provo, Utah, just eight days after unveiling plans to bring Google Fiber to Austin, Texas. The Provo project was the third U.S. community to be slated for Fiber service so far.
Google’s first Fiber deployment in the United States has been happening in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., where the company has been unveiling Google Fiber since the fall of 2012, with plans to go national in the future. In December 2012, Google announced that five more neighborhoods in Kansas City would be getting its fiber services. Installation of the fiber network in the Kansas City area began in February 2012, when the laying of fiber cable got under way.
In the recently announced Austin Fiber project, Google says it plans to start connecting homes there by mid-2014. Customers there will have a similar choice of products that are being offered in Kansas City, including Gigabit Internet or Gigabit Internet plus Google Fiber TV service with nearly 200 HDTV channels.
Early results from the Kansas City rollout have been promising for Google Fiber based on Internet speed ratings reported by Netflix each month. Based on the small but growing deployment Google Fiber has in Kansas City today, the service is ranked No. 1 for Internet speeds across the nation, compared with competitors, according to the Netflix numbers. Google Fiber is listed at 3.45M-bps average speed, compared with 2.39M bps for its nearest rival, Cablevision Optimum.