Kansas City Residents Slow to Sign Up for Google Fiber

Have you ever lived in Kansas City? You ever even been there? Are you the authority on what a Redneck Hellhole looks like? No? Didn't think so.

How about we turn your argument around. Where do you live? One of the above cities that is so large that even their ghetto's dwarf the size of the entirety of KCMO and the cost of living is double what it is in KCMO? For the price of an entire house in Missouri I can make the downpayment for one of equal size in California. Ya, that sounds like a fun place to move to. Be in debt for a helluva lot longer in a state that is already perpetually in debt.

I can assure you it is anything but a redneck hellhole. Small sections of the town are ghetto hellholes, but what town doesn't have those? Millions of people have willingly chosen Kansas City and its surrounding metropolitan area. Overland Park, KS (one of KC's suburbs) was rated 7th best city to live in the United States in 2010. Lee's Summit, MO (another KC suburb) was rated 27th best city to live in that same year. Kansas City has its issues, but its anything some rural backwater town. It is one of the biggest transportation hubs in the country. If you have ever purchased something from across the country (including something in a store that had to be shipped there), it most likely crossed through Kansas City at one point either by rail or by truck.

Good god somebody is defensive. I live near Fort Lauderdale a few blocks from the ocean. I love where I live.

Kansas City looks like a real craphole. I can't imagine why anyone would want to go there for any reason. You sound pretty angry. Maybe you should move to a place that doesn't suck and you'll have a happier outlook on life.
 
Why on earth would anybody introduce the latest technology in a city that doesn't care about technology. They should have started in Dallas... it would have sold faster than... than something that sells super fast.
 
Some of you need to travel a bit. Might clear up some misconceptions and stereotypes you may have regarding cities not on the east or west coasts, or in the states you live in.
 
Good god somebody is defensive. I live near Fort Lauderdale a few blocks from the ocean. I love where I live.

Kansas City looks like a real craphole. I can't imagine why anyone would want to go there for any reason. You sound pretty angry. Maybe you should move to a place that doesn't suck and you'll have a happier outlook on life.
Good god you live in a shithole. I can't imagine why anyone would want to live in a hurricane blasted and old people infested shithole like Fort Lauderdale.:rolleyes: I live in a temperate climate where I actually get to enjoy snow and on occasion a white Christmas. I love where I live.

Did I just denounce your hometown without knowing a thing about it? Yes I did, exactly like you. Maybe you need to move somewhere outside of your hometown so you will learn to not be so close minded and insult people about things WHICH YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. Its a big world out there, maybe you should go see it.;)
 
Do families who signed up for the $300 install for free net for 7 years count into that figure? Even poor areas should switch to that if they have net since it comes out to under $4/month while mediacom charges 53. They should really expand this to towns in the KC metro area... Most of Kansas City seems to be lower income areas where people probably aren't as interested in this. My parents live in the suburbs and would jump on the 5/1 service for $300 for 7 years. They don't need more than this and it would be huge savings for them.
Plus the fact that most of these people lack basic common sense, let alone the ability to think ahead. All they see is that their current bill would go up right now, but can't sort out the fact that it would end in 12 months, and that the 7 free years would make the cost far less in the long run.

I think there is a silent figure here in the fact that most poor people don't have internet outside of their cell phones.
This definitely factors into the equation, and from what I've seen is quite an accurate statement. Personally, I still can't see how people can be happy with just their phone for internet connection, I for one would go mental.
 
Plus the fact that most of these people lack basic common sense, let alone the ability to think ahead. All they see is that their current bill would go up right now, but can't sort out the fact that it would end in 12 months, and that the 7 free years would make the cost far less in the long run.
Or simply aren't able to get the money up front for it. If you can't get $300 together, then it doesn't matter how much you know it will be beneficial in the long term, you still won't be able to get it.

aka, http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Sam_Vimes_Theory_of_Economic_Injustice ;)
 
You don't need the $300 upfront, its either $300 upfront OR $25 a month for 1 year. Its true that Troost is the dividing line and your right, they have rims and this and that but, the ones that truly are struggling to pay their bills don't care about the internet at home due to a likely multitude of reasons such as no home pc or working long hours to barely pay their bills. The cost and the poorer folk not being able to afford it is not the only barrier they have faced, they face people that say oh what I have now works fine, they face people worried about Google having the same info your cable provider has now, and they also face people like my grandma who say, I don't have internet now why do I want it even if it is only $300 over 1 year and I get it free after that. Believe me I have tried multiple time to convince her to do the free ($300 fee) one if not for her for when people visit and to increase the value of the house but no luck. Some people are just stuck in their ways.
 
I have a 30 Mbps connection. I can stream HD to 3 TVs and play online games at the same time without a problem. If a 1 gig connection is overkill for me (still want one though), what is the average Joe who just browses the web going to do with it? This is one product Google is going to have to really get out there and sell, people just aren't going to flock to it in the numbers they need.

How does paying $300 for at least 3 years of service at that speed, symmetrical, sound to you? $8.33/month, at most?

And some spin on the article. Few months of signups = half the areas have enough demand; ie at least break even on the fiber rollouts = slow?
 
You don't need the $300 upfront, its either $300 upfront OR $25 a month for 1 year. Its true that Troost is the dividing line and your right, they have rims and this and that but, the ones that truly are struggling to pay their bills don't care about the internet at home due to a likely multitude of reasons such as no home pc or working long hours to barely pay their bills. The cost and the poorer folk not being able to afford it is not the only barrier they have faced, they face people that say oh what I have now works fine, they face people worried about Google having the same info your cable provider has now, and they also face people like my grandma who say, I don't have internet now why do I want it even if it is only $300 over 1 year and I get it free after that. Believe me I have tried multiple time to convince her to do the free ($300 fee) one if not for her for when people visit and to increase the value of the house but no luck. Some people are just stuck in their ways.

The biggest problem Google has is convincing backward-thinking people that their internet and TV providers do not have to be the same company. This is probably making people hesitate from cashing-in on the free internet plan.

The other huge problem: Google Fiber only has one level of TV service on-offer, and it requires you to pay $120 a month. Yeah, you get a lot of service for that money, but it's still more than most poorer families can swing in a month. Just go look at Comcast, where they have minimum service levels that are much more enticing to those on a budget:

http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Learn/DigitalCable/digitalcable-39.html
 
Good god somebody is defensive. I live near Fort Lauderdale a few blocks from the ocean. I love where I live.

Kansas City looks like a real craphole. I can't imagine why anyone would want to go there for any reason. You sound pretty angry. Maybe you should move to a place that doesn't suck and you'll have a happier outlook on life.

Holy shit, did somebody from the state of Florida, just bag on.. well.. any other place in America?

Florida.. It's hot, sweaty, and smelly. Which pretty much makes it America's wang.
 
Good god you live in a shithole. I can't imagine why anyone would want to live in a hurricane blasted and old people infested shithole like Fort Lauderdale.:rolleyes: I live in a temperate climate where I actually get to enjoy snow and on occasion a white Christmas. I love where I live.

Did I just denounce your hometown without knowing a thing about it? Yes I did, exactly like you. Maybe you need to move somewhere outside of your hometown so you will learn to not be so close minded and insult people about things WHICH YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. Its a big world out there, maybe you should go see it.;)

I've seen enough of middle America to know I'm not missing anything. They don't call them flyover states for nothing.
 
Holy shit, did somebody from the state of Florida, just bag on.. well.. any other place in America?

Florida.. It's hot, sweaty, and smelly. Which pretty much makes it America's wang.
That's ok, it more than makes up for it by being well endowed.:p
 
Also, I'll take the one hurricane we get a decade over the snow, cold, and gloom of winter. I lived in PA most of my childhood and you guys can seriously keep that crap. I could never see snow again and I wouldn't feel like I had missed out on anything. Shoveling snow sucks the fucking cock.
 
One thing NumbNutz forgot to mention was that each cable box also doubles as an access point. I'm running 10 year old WRT54g routers...Google Fiber is going to rock. TWC can suck it. Their network is actually pretty good, but their TV sucks a big one.

I've lived quite a number of places...KC has been the best so far. Lots to do, lots of BBQ (largest BBQ competition in the nation..booya), some cool history. I'm in IT in the area, there are more and more IT/data centers popping up in the area. We have some good fiber connectivity, very cheap power, and a decent pool of professionals. Florida has a tag on Fark for a reason. Snow rocks. You don't really "need" to shovel it. Seasons are cool.
 
How about everyone chill out about bashing other posters geographic locations. Google picked Kansas City. Get over it. They may come to your area next or never at all. Making fun of another place just because you don't want to live there will not change this. There are poor and rich areas of Kansas City just like every city. Most of the poor areas may not sign up. I'm assuming Google would have taken this into account. I'd be shocked if all the nicer areas don't get the amount of subscribers they need.
 
It seems insane anyone would NOT sign up for this. Even if you don't need the speed, it's available, take it! I would sell one of my testicles to get fiber to my house. Could run a mini hosting data centre or some other type of service and monetize it.
 
One thing NumbNutz forgot to mention was that each cable box also doubles as an access point. I'm running 10 year old WRT54g routers...Google Fiber is going to rock. TWC can suck it. Their network is actually pretty good, but their TV sucks a big one.

I've lived quite a number of places...KC has been the best so far. Lots to do, lots of BBQ (largest BBQ competition in the nation..booya), some cool history. I'm in IT in the area, there are more and more IT/data centers popping up in the area. We have some good fiber connectivity, very cheap power, and a decent pool of professionals.
I totally forgot about the cable box doubling as an access point. I remember them saying for each TV in the house, they would run a CAT6 line to it. Each Cable box doubling as a WiFi access point will eliminate deadzones within a house also.

Also, you are in IT here in KC? What company you working for? I will remember to keep them on my short list for when I seek out new employment.;) Send me a pm if you wish to discuss.

Currently A+, Net+, and CCNA certified with 1 year tech support. I need more certs and more experience, but working on those as we speak. Currently working at a large national bank with local headquarters hoping to move to web support...
 
They should had pick OKC and not some hick town :p

No wait they should had pick Tulsa OK!

I think the problem with Oklahoma City would have been the sheer size in square miles. It also would have had problems with areas of the city being densely populated with low-income households. Most of the suburbs would have been a good choice though to start.

The Tulsa area could also have been a good choice because of its relatively short distance from Google's datacenter in Pryor.
 
Just so you know.

Kansas City, Mo. was incorporated as a city before Kansas was even a state.

More than 1.8 million people live in the Greater Kansas City area
The Greater Kansas City area is made up of 11 counties, covering two states.
It’s considered the No. 1 inland trade zone in area.
It’s the second-largest rail center in the U.S.
Country Club Plaza was the first automobile planned shopping area, opened in 1922. It boasts 12 towers and numerous fountains and artworks that were modeled after those found in the Spanish city of Seville. It’s considered the “crowning achievement” of Kansas City.
Speaking of fountains, the Greater Kansas City area has more than 200 picturesque fountains, giving rise to its nickname, The City of Fountains.
The Kansas City area is more than hospitable with a mild climate. Temperatures generally go no higherthan 88 in the summer and 20 in the dead of winter.
More than 22 colleges and universities call the area home.
Kansas City is famous for its barbecue. In fact, it’s considered the barbecue capital of the world with dozens of restaurants offering the famous fare
 
Good post Pab!

Just one minor correction .... temps generally range from 0°F in winter to 100°F in summer.
 
What's the point of a 1gbps connection at home?

1.No home/consumer-grade router is going to have a routing capacity anywhere near 1gbps. In order to get that kind of routing performance, you'd have to move up to high-end enterprise grade hardware which costs thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars and is well beyond the capability of the typical home user to set up.

2.Most home users access the internet using WiFi. Since there is no WiFi technology that can go anywhere near 1gbps, you would never end up getting anywhere near your maximum throughput.
 
More than 1.8 million people live in the Greater Kansas City area
The Greater Kansas City area is made up of 11 counties, covering two states.
It’s considered the No. 1 inland trade zone in area.
It’s the second-largest rail center in the U.S.
That right there is why Google chose Kansas City. The can start small without too much risk, and at the same time corner a huge business hub in the center of the country. If anyone thinks Google Fiber is about giving the little man cheap internet, they are dead wrong. They are literally giving it away FFS. They don't give 2 shits about the little guy since they will make a fortune off selling advertisements to the businesses which are then shown on Google's networks, and now their TV. This is about landing a foothold in the market for Businesses and getting an easier method for feeding ads straight to people.

They got Kansas City. Its all about Hub and Spokes. Next stop for Google will be another huge business center in the midwest to start grabbing hold of cheap marketshare. My money is on St. Louis and Chicago. Chicago would have been more ideal starting ground than KC. However, KC is smaller and offers less risk if failure occurs. Its so much cheaper this way for Google. KC is the proving ground, but Google Fiber will hit critical mass the second they hit Chicago. From Chicago to St. Louis, then out to Indianapolis, Denver, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, and Milwaukee. The coastal cities will be last since their larger size and bigger governments will throw up all sorts of red tape.

I believe their end goal is internet backbone. They will own the infrastructure from top to bottom. Once its in all the major cities, internet traffic will have to pass through their wires at some point.
 
What's the point of a 1gbps connection at home?

1.No home/consumer-grade router is going to have a routing capacity anywhere near 1gbps. In order to get that kind of routing performance, you'd have to move up to high-end enterprise grade hardware which costs thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars and is well beyond the capability of the typical home user to set up.

2.Most home users access the internet using WiFi. Since there is no WiFi technology that can go anywhere near 1gbps, you would never end up getting anywhere near your maximum throughput.
1. Google is providing the hardware. The modem/router is a new custom built unit. You also don't have to have enterprise grade hardware to pull off those speeds.

2. They are over providing. Provide a limit so high no one could possibly bitch about slow speeds. If most home users will use WiFi and never touch the limit, that leaves more room for power users, businesses, and schools to saturate the rest of the bandwidth.

At 1Gbps, the limit to download speeds is your hard drive if you are using a wired connection. 1Gbps = 1000Mbps = 125 megabytes per second. A typical hard drive can do sequential writes that fast, but a download off the net will cause more random writes slowing things down quite a bit. Time for me to RAID up and rape Google Fiber with downloads.:D I know plenty of places to download from that will let me saturate that connection.

Also, this is [H], why the hell should you care? This site is about the biggest and baddest. I can guarantee you I will find a way to make use of that full 1Gbps speeds, even if I have to spend 2 grand in gear. If you were given a sports car for free, would you immediately trade it in for a Honda Civic or would you see how fast that bitch can move? If your answer is Honda, then you need to pack your shit and leave.
 
I am from Kansas City Mo. Part of the problem is the racial divide in KC. East of Troost Ave is nearly all poor African American neighborhoods. West Is more affluent white neighborhoods. Nearly all the white neighborhoods are above the quota for signups and the African American neighbor hoods are not. I imagine if you are struggling to put food on the table high speed internet is not your top priority. Even the lowest tier service I think the hook up fee is 300$. It will be interesting when google hooks up the white neighborhoods and leaves the African American ones alone. I imagine Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton will get involved soon...

troost.jpeg

That's exactly what I thought the problem would be. Their pricing, while competitive to regular cable, is still high for people who are struggling. If I remember correctly, the tv+internet plan was going to be $120/mo with a $300 commitment up front. I would do that in a heartbeat, but for people who basically use the internet just to surf websites and not much else, that would be hard to swallow. I wonder if they looked into the economics of the area much before awarding this to KS?
 
2. They are over providing. Provide a limit so high no one could possibly bitch about slow speeds. If most home users will use WiFi and never touch the limit, that leaves more room for power users, businesses, and schools to saturate the rest of the bandwidth.

Pfft, they're not even close to too much if a single computer with a small array and one ethernet connection can approach the point where the link is saturated. Call me back when Google is going to provide 10 terrabits per second to the home.
 
Do I really want Google to be my ISP.

Does it really matter at this point. They already see damn near everything that happens on the internet anyway. Encrypt everything you don't want others to see.
 
Does it really matter at this point. They already see damn near everything that happens on the internet anyway. Encrypt everything you don't want others to see.

Kind of (it's the point that i don't like it) but...what should one be using to encrypt all critical communication? Serious question. :)
 
Kind of (it's the point that i don't like it) but...what should one be using to encrypt all critical communication? Serious question. :)

If you're not a touch typist, you can move the number and letter keys around your keyboard.
 
That's exactly what I thought the problem would be. Their pricing, while competitive to regular cable, is still high for people who are struggling. If I remember correctly, the tv+internet plan was going to be $120/mo with a $300 commitment up front. I would do that in a heartbeat, but for people who basically use the internet just to surf websites and not much else, that would be hard to swallow. I wonder if they looked into the economics of the area much before awarding this to KS?

Please take the time to read the thread. This has been covered MULTIPLE TIMES already. Straight from Google: https://fiber.google.com/plans/residential/

The $300 upfront is only 1 plan.

Lowest Tier 10Mbps Internet only (includes modem/router):
1 time $300 fee, free for 7 years aftwerwards
-or-
12 monthly payments for $25, free for 7 years afterwards

Internet only Tier 1Gbps (includes modem/router):
$70/mo

Internet + TV (includes modem/router, DVR, 2TB expansion for DVR, and Nexus 7 tablet):
$120/mo
 
5Mbps still isn't half bad for free.. Basically Google will run wires by your house anyways and it's not that much more to connect you ($300 worth of equipment) so we'll give you free intarwebs for 7 years but only 5Mbps speeds (hell in 7 years I'm sure 5Mbps is going to be ass slow)
 
And yes I would do that $120 in a heartbeat too. I mean it's basically $50 more than without, I pay more than that with my DirecTV and I have the cheapest plan too, plus no paying an $8 monthly DVR fee, and no $10 monthly HD fee.
 
GaymerCon's's defenders have said homosexuals need a "safe" place, free of "persecution". But, I've been to gaming events and have never witnessed homosexuals being persecuted. They've only been treated the same as everyone else. So, what's the deal? I think I have it figured out!

GaymerCon is about providing a "safe" place for older homosexual men to cruise for boys, boys attracted by video games. Yep, they would be "persecuted" if they tried to turn a regular gaming convention into a NAMBLA meat market.

The moral of the story, if you're not up to no good you wouldn't be coming up with BS to defend hypocritical and discriminatory behavior.
 
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