‘Other’ Kansas City Jazzed About Google’s ‘Free’ Internet
July 26, 2012
By Caroline Porter
The Wall Street Journal
As Google Inc. tries to take on cable companies by providing lightning-fast Internet speeds and crystal-clear high-definition TV to residents of Kansas City, Mo., and its less-wealthy neighbor, Kansas City, Kan., it is also giving people free Internet service at a lower speed.
News of the free offering came as a relief to Kansas City, Kan., residents who won’t be able to afford the $70-per-month Google Fiber Internet service or the $130-per-month Internet plus TV service, said David Smith, who is chief of staff of the city’s public school system.
“That was something people were worried about,” he said. “The fact that it will be accessible to a wide variety of families–we are thrilled. So now we’re like, ‘Let’s go!’”
For a one-time fee of $300, which can be paid in installments, Google will install Internet service with a speed of 5 megabits per second–or roughly equivalent to many of the so-called DSL connections in the U.S. After the fee is paid, there is no other cost for the service for at least seven years.
A Google spokeswoman said that “at the end of seven years, we will begin charging the market price for comparable speeds—which, if Google Fiber is successful, will be $0.”
Mr. Smith said many of students, more than 85% of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch, do not have Internet access at home. “On early mornings you would see kids sitting outside the school or library to use the wireless. To have that power at home will be transformative,” he said. “It’s hard to see what the changes will be but we know our kids will be able to figure out things we cannot see over the horizon.”
He added that “the vast majority of our kids are going to need these tools to participate effectively and efficiently in the economy of the 21st century.”
Mr. Smith, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., noted that he is “already getting tweets from my neighbors” about pre-registering for the Google service.
1 comment:
Khmers eat shit too much and very stupid and lazy so you don't deserve any free thing. Get up your lazy asses, do some work, earn some money and pay for it.
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