Living nearby in Overland Park, this is pretty exciting stuff. It will certainly be nice to see someone big give Time Warner and AT&T a little competition.
It's a little surprising that they would pick Kansas City, Kansas over the much-bigger Kansas City, Missouri, but then again, there's probably a lot less politics and red tape to cut through when dealing with a smaller community.
Sprints headquarters are in Overland Park -- does anyone know if they have their hand in this?
My understanding is that Google was specifically looking for smaller communities to try out its fiber service first (unwitting beta testers @ Standford U. notwithstanding). A larger urban area like KC, MO may have been considered unappealing because its population density meant more competition with incumbent providers. KC, KS is smaller, but it adjoins the larger urban core, where Google could expand when it's ready.
I love Overland Park, but it is just like the rest of Kansas; Red. Missouri is a bit too Blue for Google to make enough money quickly enough to feel comfortable putting it there. Plus KCMO is a lot poorer than KCK.
It's a little surprising that they would pick Kansas City, Kansas over the much-bigger Kansas City, Missouri, but then again, there's probably a lot less politics and red tape to cut through when dealing with a smaller community.
Sprints headquarters are in Overland Park -- does anyone know if they have their hand in this?