Google Fiber and Troost

Brad DeLong posts a screenshot of the current Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) Google Fiber neighborhoods map and highlights the stark green and yellow dividing line in KCMO. Interestingly, KCK is a little more geographically dispersed.

If you're unfamiliar with Google Fiber, it's in the process of pre-registering interest for the high-speed internet and TV service being piloted by Google in Kansas City. Google has set thresholds for individual neighborhoods throughout Kansas City for a set percentage of residents to pre-register their interest for the service by September 9. Residents in eligible neighborhoods pay a $10 registration fee (that goes towards the first months bill), and then 'compete' against one another for overall rankings, with the promise that the neighborhoods with the highest pre-registration percentages will be the first to receive service.

Here is a combined cap of both Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) and KCMO:

(you can see the maps for each city natively here).

Green = neighborhood has reached its goal
Orange = near goal, but not quite there
Yellow = not close to goal

Kansas City natives will recognize that vertical line separating the green and yellow in KCMO as Troost Avenue. Our own Kansas City Star had an article last week about the disparity, pointing to economic issues. This doesn't really make much sense to me because there is a free option--if you pay the installation fee ($300 spread over 12 months = $25 a month for 1 year), you can get free 5 mbps internet for 7 years. This comes out to internet access for 7 years for $3.57 a month (and with the option to upgrade service in the future). I need someone to explain to me why this is not a tremendous incentive to sign up for Google Fiber. This leads me to suspect the problem is more than economic; it's mechanical. You pre-register via the google fiber website. This creates a problem for households without existing internet access. 

FCC June 2011 Internet Access map (constant connections over 200 kbps--I have zoomed in to the KC area):

Troost also appears to be a dividing line for internet access, which naturally you might expect given the economics and additional monthly cost an internet connection brings. But in this case it's a huge mechanical issue. It might just be a problem for a service that is primarily targeting sign-ups through the internet. How exactly does Google expect people who don't currently have access to the internet to register for their service?

Comments

[Heatherkwood]

So why is the progress so much different in KCK? So much more orange, or even green, in neighborhoods of socioeconomic status similar to neighborhoods east of Troost. What is the difference? Is this the effect of KCK schools laptops to high schoolers program? More owner-occupied housing? More heterogeneity of income within neighborhoods? What's going on?

[Hidama]

The KC-K neighborhoods have a diversity of residents there, and the schools and the SMCKC initiative has been working hard to reach out in KC-K. A long time ago, the Social Media Club of Kansas City creating Give Us A Gig, an initiative set out to prepare KC neighborhoods for Google Fiber. Myself and a few other SMCKC members live in KC-K, so we've been personal activists for this neighborhood. KC-K has had business and neighborhood meetings about Google Fiber, we've had people go door to door signing people up, and Wyandotte High has been very active in spreading the news.

For those who want to see the Troost economic & technological divide lessen, I strongly recommend joining the Paint the Town Green project (http://neighbor.ly/paintthetowngreen). KC people have raised funds to cover the costs of pre-registration for low-income housing, and are going door to door to collect information on paper or sign up using mobile devices on the spot.

[Heatherkwood]

So it sounds like the difference is just the amount of groundwork that has been done. This is a result of KCK being the original recipient and KCMO added later?

[Hidama]

@Heather

Actually, all of the Give Us A Gig work and MBIT (Mayors' bi-state technology initiative) was created after both cities were announced receipients. I'd say this is clearly a socio-economic divide. Some things to consider:

- On which side of Troost has the most multiple-dwelling units & rentals? Apartment complexes and those renting homes won't likely sign up — the land owner would need to sign up the property.

- How has Google Fiber benefits been presented to these neighborhoods? Do these neighborhoods see billboards, hear radio ads or TV ads and have the benefits been made clear to them? Has anyone explained the "free internet"? A lot of the advertisement has been for fast speeds and the $100+ packages.

-How many community center points are nearby? Notice that those in districts where schools will benefit turned green early.

-How many people in this community use landlines? Lower economic classes might only access the internet through mobile devices or at community centers. Why would they sign up if they aren't already using an internet connection?

And so many more reasons to consider. What do you think, Heather?

[Heatherkwood]

I understand all those factors, but those differentiate haves and have nots. I'm more interested in the difference between the response between diffferent "have not" fiberhoods.

I'm interested in why a fiberhood like Caruthers in KCK, which has an elementary school that is 96% black or Latino and 96% economically disadvantaged, hit its registration goal a week ago, while the Eastside in KCMO struggles. In the Pearson School fiberhood, McKinley Elementary is 94% econmically disadvantaged and Pearson Elementary is 97% disadvantaged, and it qualified even earlier than Caruthers. County 5 doesn't have a school, so I can't use school district figures for that, but you can buy a house in that fiberhood for $35,000 today.

So, I'm not talking about the apples to oranges of east vs west of Troost, but the (seems to me) apples to apples of northeastern KCK and east of Troost. What's the difference? If people can figure that out, it seems like that would be the first step in chipping away at the digital divide.

[Lazoneg]

The reason for KCK was due to super coordinating between various groups and individuals, who in the end pre-registered more disenfranchised neighborhoods in a week than many nicer places accomplished in 4 weeks. A clear lack of leadership and apathy by those within these low-income neighborhoods will speak volume to the why not's?.

Who are the Black leaders and where are/where they? The Black radio stations only promoted Google for paid advertisements so that radio station did not do a good job using their platform to allow stronger voices to come in and educate their listeners about the opportunity; and what was at stake for failure. Plenty hiphop played, jokes cut, and getting praise on,but no educating on this game-changer.

Unfortunately, people tend to talk a lot and complain often, but it is apparent they also won't take action in the streets and do the heavy lifting.

I do not blame Google at all.