Kansas City Residents Slow to Sign Up for Google Fiber

dajet24 said:
Google didnt exactly pick a great place for this starting point...
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More likely than not they wanted a place that would have
1) I somewhat sizeable population. KC does fit this bill
2) Not have huge amounts of red tape to get through to actually run the fiber. Someplace like SF or NYC would have tons of. Not sure if they're going to go a trenching route or run along poles too. Not sure if KC fits this bill but I can't imagine it being any harder to get away with than some of the larger cities.
3) They didn't want the area to be too tech heavy just to see if this will be worth wild. Which when I think tech, I do not think KC.
4) They didn't want to go too big on their first shot in case it all comes crumbling down they can minimize the amount of financial neck they're sticking out.

While I would have much better liked to see them start at the Mountain View HQ and simply go North and South from San Jose to San Francisco and wire the whole Silicon Valley up, there'd be numerous issues with that.
 
$300 hook up fee? That's driving people away. You don't have to pay that to get Comcast service and while I realize 1 Gbps is worth it for that fee most people have ZERO use for 1 Gbps speed , hell most probably don't have computers good enough to make full use of it. Most people use some form of 802.11 to hook into the Internet and it would be almost a waste for them to even get that speed.

I would love for Google to have this available in my area and would gladly make use of it (and I have the hardware that can) but Google has stated from the get go that this would be experimental and that they are not yet ready to commit to becoming a full fledged ISP.
 
sfsuphysics said:
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)
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Maybe so, but 5Mbps for free is better than any free plan I know of short of stealing your neighbor's WiFi. Keep in mind that in many places people are still forced to pay for dialup, and even if they're lucky enough to get DSL, it's still not even close to that speed. I'm sure these people would be all over this deal if given the chance.
 
Godmachine said:
$300 hook up fee? That's driving people away. You don't have to pay that to get Comcast service and while I realize 1 Gbps is worth it for that fee most people have ZERO use for 1 Gbps speed , hell most probably don't have computers good enough to make full use of it. Most people use some form of 802.11 to hook into the Internet and it would be almost a waste for them to even get that speed..
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Here is the only time that you pay $300.
- If you want the basic internet and want to get the fee over with, then you pay. Else you pay $25 for 12 months.
- If you get just internet and decide to cancel before your 1 year contract.
- if you get internet & tv and decide to cancel before your 2 year contract.

Provide a service, I'm sure most will find a use for it.
 
I live an hour west of KC in Topeka, KS. I have co-workers and friends that live in those areas and they said they having meetings at the local schools trying to get more people to sign up. I don't understand why more people are not signing up too. The Open Door area on the KS side is densely populated as it seems to be a new housing development area.
 
rcashier said:
I live an hour west of KC in Topeka, KS. I have co-workers and friends that live in those areas and they said they having meetings at the local schools trying to get more people to sign up. I don't understand why more people are not signing up too. The Open Door area on the KS side is densely populated as it seems to be a new housing development area.
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Lack of recognition. Most peopl probably have no idea this is going on at the moment. I have no idea how google is getting the word out but most people don't pay attention to advertisements anymore unless its being incorporated into a line in Land and Order: SVU.

Most people could probably be seeing it and not understanding what it is. I know Google sucks at advertising products. Unless this is on their google page for all Kansasinites to see I don't see how they are getting the word out.

Another thing is complacency. Most people being ok with their internet (he it gets me websites!) probably don't actively search for something better, or realise there could be better out there. Then at the same time, if all they do is websurf why should they care?
 
Damn, if Google offered Fiber by where I live, I'd sign up in half a heartbeat. I can't even get anything better than Clearwire (it's shit).
 
Trimlock said:
Lack of recognition. Most peopl probably have no idea this is going on at the moment. I have no idea how google is getting the word out but most people don't pay attention to advertisements anymore unless its being incorporated into a line in Land and Order: SVU.

Most people could probably be seeing it and not understanding what it is. I know Google sucks at advertising products. Unless this is on their google page for all Kansasinites to see I don't see how they are getting the word out.

Another thing is complacency. Most people being ok with their internet (he it gets me websites!) probably don't actively search for something better, or realise there could be better out there. Then at the same time, if all they do is websurf why should they care?
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That is a big part of it too. I watch our local Fox news station every morning...never seen an ad or even heard it discussed. I watch Fox News, CNN, Comedy Central, and a number of the science channels...nothing there. I don't see anything in my web experience. Most of it is word of mouth. I do see yard signs here and there...which I need to pick one up.
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
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
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I get that, but price is still a hurdle. I didn't read every page, was current ISP pricing covered? Personally, I would jump at those prices, but people living paycheck to paycheck may not be so willing. Dunno what the economic situation is there, but that could make a difference. Personally, I tried to have Google come to my town and I know their service would have been adopted by a majority of people in the area...
 
wtburnette said:
was current ISP pricing covered?
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I will give a comparison as I currently have Time Warner Cable in the Kansas City Area.

I pay $120 a month to TWC for the following:
-10Mbps internet, no download caps
-All the same channels that Google is offering
-1 modem
-1 HD capable Cable Box w/ remote, no DVR functionality, DVR upgrade $5 more a month

I priced out ATT U-Verse recently, $135 per month with new customer pricing got me this:
-24Mbps internet, download is capped at 250 gigabytes/mo
-90% of the same channels as TWC
-1 modem/router combo, and its the infamous 2wire units that are prone to random death
-1 HD capable Cable Box w/ remote, DVR functionality with ability to record 4 shows at once

With Google Fiber I will pay $120 a month and get the following:
-1000Mbps internet
-Same channels as TWC
-1 modem/router combo
-1 HD Cable box w/ remote, with DVR capability with ability to record 8 shows at once
-1 Nexus 7 tablet with smart remote software, ability to pull up entire channel guide, switch channels, record, search and find anything related and even record it. Also is voice activated.
 
Naaahhh... bring that shit to Brazil! We're used to overpaying for any damn thing, they could charge insane amounts and I'm sure it'll be a huge success!

Why give it at a loss? Come here and profit!
 
Well, whaddaya know...180 of the 202 neighborhoods ended up qualifying, including mine -- which met its goal within the LAST 10 MINUTES!!!!

w00t
 
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