Good Guy Google Offers 1Gbit Free Internet to Low-Income Households

[jakkuh_t]

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The Mountain View, California, company said in a blog post Wednesday that it will give public housing residents free access to its Google Fiber broadband service. It's kicking off the effort in Kansas City, where Google first deployed the all-fiber network in 2011.

Can we get this in Canada, i'll pay! On a serious note, internet access, whether it be high speed or not is something we take for granted. 

 

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Google already provides free service to the poor in Austin, Texas. But the speed offered there for free is lower than the 1 gigabit-per-second connection it provides to its paying customers and will be providing to low-income residents in Kansas City.

Not huge news as stated above, but is definitely a step in the right direction. Regardless if this is a PR stunt or a way to push other companies to offer less expensive services instead of ripping several million people way off (looking at you comcast).

 

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Google charges $70 for the 1Gbps service, which is 100 times faster than the typical home broadband connection. The offer of free high-speed Internet takes one burden off the shoulders of the poor.

I've included a poll, let us all know how much you pay for your internet (or post below and include the offered speed/location)

 

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Google already provides free service to the poor in Austin, Texas. But the speed offered there for free is lower than the 1 gigabit-per-second connection it provides to its paying customers and will be providing to low-income residents in Kansas City.

Not 100% new, but the program seems to be expanding as well as improving.

 

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The announcement makes good on a promise that Google made last year when it signed up to be a part of President Obama's ConnectHome initiative, which is designed to bring high-speed broadband access to over 275,000 low income households across the US. In July, Google committed to lighting up broadband in several cities, including Atlanta, Durham, North Carolina, Kansas City, Missouri and Nashville. Today's announcement goes beyond its earlier commitment by promising free 1Gbps access.

It's good to see a company actually keeping their word and looking out for those in need.

 

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Google said it will ultimately serve as many as 1,300 households in Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, with a free 1Gbps subscription from Google Fiber. It plans to expand the offer to "select" public housing buildings in every city where Google Fiber operates, it said in the blog.

Side note here ^ hopefully nobody tries to profit off of this (selling their access? not sure how, but someone will figure it out)

 

 

 

Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/google-unleashes-free-speedy-internet-service-on-low-income-homes/

[wyattzx]

I'm pretty sure we've known about this; Google providing free basic fiber internet if you pay the setup fee. Is this news?

Edit: Ah, your title didn't indicate that it's free 1Gbps. That's different.

[evilarceus]

...and here comes the "WHY ISN'T GOOGLE FIBER IN MY AREA COME HERE NAOW"

[Ddave]

Now google fiber just needs to be available here.

[jakkuh_t]

Just now, NonaHexa said:

I'm pretty sure we've known about this; Google providing free basic fiber internet if you pay the setup fee. Is this news?

Yes, that is an option available in Austin, TX however it is not gigabit speeds. 

 

 

[vanished]

5 minutes ago, evilarceus said:

...and here comes the "WHY ISN'T GOOGLE FIBER IN MY AREA COME HERE NAOW"

"WHY ISN'T GOOGLE FIBER IN MY AREA COME HERE NAOW"

[vanished]

But seriously, here's a better plan.  Actually make google fiber available, like at all, in more places, for a price, and then use the profits to provide donations to charities or low-income assistance programs or something like that.  Pretty sure low income people have more pressing concerns than internet speed anyway, and the rest of us would sure like some of that *hint hint*

[MrDynamicMan]

...That's pretty awesome. If these people weren't getting 25x the internet I get for 70 dollars less...

 

Goddamn I hate south African ISPs

[Slyhawk]

Now they need to come to sydney Australia 

[2FA]

Guys, I pay $60 for 3/3 Mbps with the max package 10/10. Rural New York with a local monopolized ISP that just gets it Internet from Westlecom, GG.

[jakkuh_t]

14 minutes ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

Guys, I pay $60 for 3/3 Mbps with the max package 10/10. Rural New York with a local monopolized ISP that just gets it Internet from Westlecom, GG.

That's brutal man. We pay $180-$200 for HD cable, 150/10 Mbps (and 5 free emails, not that anyone uses them, lol).

[Lethal Seraph]

Duh, I'll even pay $100/month for that speed. Oh I can only dream. Sucks being stuck on one place.

[Yog]

I thought google was giving away their bottom tier of internet for free to people of any income...whatever happened to that? I like that much more than an income based system...those just cause more problems than they solve.

[RagnarokDel]

70$ and all I get is 30 mbps down and 2 up.

[Trik'Stari]

Century Link just halved our price for 12 months in response to my mom's cancer diagnosis (and subsequent loss of income).

 

Damned decent of them.

[NateGSR117]

That pretty sweet, I just wish they spread to more place faster now that the FCC is helping pave the way a bit

[RexinOridle]

Google, please come to Canada.

[AresKrieger]

I mean polishing your relatively PR status is all well and fine but could you use money to expand the internet you provide to people who will pay you first since you AREN'T SPREADING FAST ENOUGH!!

[dreamer77dd]

I do not think Google is only focusing on the U.S.

I believe they have other projects going on around the world linking people together.

Not sure if it is the same as the U.S. though.

It be nice if Google keeps putting pressure on the ISP companies and causes a price war.

[Kendrick]

WHY ISN'T GOOGLE FIBER IN MY AREA COME HERE NAOW

[Nena Trinity]

Why is Google not doing this in Norway? We have the second shittiest pile of crap interwebs in all of Europe...

(I wont say which is worst but it start on F!)

[SImoHayha]

MFW people say having google fiber everywhere is a bad thing. No it isn't screw the rest of the internet companies that offer shitty speeds for extremely high prices

[vanished]

1 minute ago, Ramamataz said:

MFW people say having google fiber everywhere is a bad thing. No it isn't screw the rest of the internet companies that offer shitty speeds for extremely high prices

Who ever said google fiber everywhere would be bad?

[Paragon_X]

I am paying 54 euros for 50 down/5 up plus cable tv and telephone and of course true unlimited data. Also it is FTTP not FTTH. FTTH still is crazy expensive.

[Trikein]

These feels like lip service to me. The vast majority of Google Fiber's foot print is new construction and areas where fiber is easy to lay. I would think very few people within this niche would be considered low income.

 

I think the best thing about Google Fiber isn't the service, but the fear factor it has on other ISPs. Comcast, TWC, RR, Cox, etc all launched Gigabit plans within a year of Google Fiber making head lines.