Remember a few years ago where Google announced their project to get high speed internet out there and for free? Well that day has finally become a reality. If you didn't follow it back then, Kansas City, Missouri won the contest. Free High Speed Internet, $300 construction fee required • 5Mbps download, 1Mbps upload speed • No data caps • Free service guaranteed for at least 7 years $70/m for just Gigabit internet: • Up to one gigabit upload & download • No data caps • 1 year contract • $300 waived construction fee • Network Box included • 1TB Google Drive $120/m for Gigabit internet + TV: • Up to one gigabit upload & download speed • Full channel TV lineup • 2 year contract • No data caps • Nexus 7 tablet • TV Box • Storage Box • Network Box • 1TB Google Drive • $300 waived construction fee http://slickdeals.net/f/4933578-Google-Fiber-Pre-Register-Gigabit-1000-Mbps-Down-and-Up-Internet-and-TV-for-120-month-or-70-m-for-just-Gigabit-Internet-Kansas-City-only That is insane.. obviously, this makes our current service providers look like total scumbags. Hope this project proves fruitful for them because I'd love to see them expand this faaast.
The caveat is that it's not going to be available on a city-wide basis in Kansas City. Sounds like the user base will be fairly limited.
Fibre is expensive to install in large areas. VM gave it up here years ago, they don't lay new new fibre. BT started doing the country a few years ago and the fibre to cab stuff has started coming into service over the past year (80/20). They do offer fibre to home but I think you have to pay a charge. There is at least one place BT are doing a free to home service for everyone as a trial.
Luckily here the gov decided to roll out fiber to the country at the cost of over $40bn. There's no way a country of our size with the limited population being so spread out could rely on the private sector to do anything outside of major cities. Still, many places will be waiting 3-5years or more before they get it though. I think when relying on the private sector a big company like Google really need to come in and shake things up. I hope they can expand this service to other cities in the US.
Yeah, the only company here that was providing full fiber was Verizon's FiOS service and they quit expanding sometime in 2010.