Google Brings Free, Fast Internet to Public Housing

West Bluff residents signing up for free gigabit Internet in Kansas City last week.

Residents of the West Bluff public housing in Kansas City, Missouri will be the first to receive free gigabit Internet service under a partnership between Google Fiber and ConnectHome, an initiative by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the White House to accelerate Internet adoption by families with school-age children in public housing.

So far 100 homes have been wired for service that provides Internet access at up to 1,000 Mbps. Google says it’s working with local affordable housing providers to connect up to nine properties, reaching more than 1,300 families in the KC metro area.

Many of the West Bluff residents who signed up for Google Fiber were getting connected to the Internet for the first time, something that is hard to imagine for the millions American households that routinely go online every day

“With this program, we’re bringing the best service to the families that need it most,” wrote Erica Swanson in the Google Fiber blog. “But roughly one-third of Americans, many of whom live outside public housing, still don’t have home broadband. That’s why we’re working with partners across our Fiber cities to meet the needs of those families, too—with programs like the Digital Inclusion Fellowship and the Kansas City Digital Inclusion Fund. We know there is no one-size-fits-all solution to closing America’s digital divide, so we’ll continue to tailor our work at the local level to address the unique needs of each community."

Google Fiber is also planning to introduce an affordable Internet option in some cities to provide a low-cost broadband connection that’s fast enough to make video calls and stream HD content. “This plan will be available in the most digitally divided areas we serve, determined using publicly-available data from the U.S. Census, FCC, and other sources,” Swanson wrote. “People in these neighborhoods won’t need to fill out applications, apply for eligibility, or pay any construction or installation fee.”

COMMENTS
hk2000's picture

“With this program, we’re bringing the best service to the families that need it most,”
That logic makes no sense.

Warrior24_7's picture

It's called "branding"

hk2000's picture

I know their purpose behind this, but to say those families need it most is, frankly, a joke- I'm not saying poor families don't need internet access, what I'm saying is: Broadband, or GIGABIT speeds is the least of their needs. If Google is trying to market it as an educational tool that they're trying to provide to poor communities, then they should be doing it for schools in those communities where it is more LIKELY to serve as an educational tool, but hey even the government doesn't seem to get their priorities straight why should we expect better from mega corporations!!!

Warrior24_7's picture

They're also in Kansas, Durahm, and Nashville but no one complained about that. This is a service that "many" ISPs are providing nation wide.

Jonasandezekiel's picture

So they sit around all day and watch porn for free? What a country.

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