embedAbout this project
* * * UPDATE * * *
YOU DID IT!! Thanks to its early backers, this project was greenlit on August 31!!! But just because the $5,000 goal was met doesn’t mean our work here is done. As of August 31, greenlighting all fiberhoods in both KCK and KCMO would take around $40,000.
We chose what we thought to be a reasonable goal for this project thinking it might be a stretch to ask for something larger. But the overwhelming generosity of this project’s backers proved us wrong!!! There is no cap on this campaign and every $10 contributed is another chance for a disadvantaged fiberhood to get Google Fiber. THANK YOU for your generosity and PLEASE continue to help ensure Google Fiber for all by contributing to this project and spreading the word.
* * * UPDATE * * *
The Google Fiber initiative represents an unprecedented opportunity for Kansas City to close the digital divide and provide broadband Internet access for neighborhoods who have been unable to connect. Social Media Club of Kansas City, through our Give Us a Gig initiative, have been encouraging neighborhoods throughout the metro area to educate, engage and advocate for broadband connectivity for the past 9 months. With Google’s product announcement, we are able to take the advocacy step to the next level.
The Google “fiberhood” rallies set reasonable thresholds for metro neighborhoods to be eligible for fiber deployments. The thresholds for neighborhoods range from about 40 to 200 households willing to commit by making a $10 deposit, and to meet that threshold by September 9. While we have a longer time horizon to educate neighborhoods about the potential benefits of ultra high-speed connectivity, we would like to ensure all Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO neighborhoods are eligible.
In this image, green represents neighborhoods who already qualify for Google Fiber’s initial rollout. Yellow represents neighborhoods that can qualify, if they are able to cast enough votes before September 9. Each vote costs $10 and requires a debit card, which can be a non-starter for some households. Kansas City, we can do better than this.
Target Areas
Our immediate priority is to aid our active Give Us a Gig communities who are most in need, but our goal is to ensure every eligible neighborhood in Kansas City qualifies for a fiber connection by September 9.
While you are free to specify which fiberhood you’d like to contribute to, unspecified contributions will go to help the fiberhoods in the following Kansas City Give Us a Gig communities:
Kansas City, Kansas
- Oak Grove
- Strugglers Hill
- Downtown
- Douglas Sumner
Kansas City, Missouri
- Marlborough
- Center City
- Ivanhoe
- Blue Hills
- 18th and Vine
- Key Coalition
Use of Proceeds
Funds raised will be used to “turn neighborhoods green” and continue to educate our neighborhoods about the value of connectivity. A portion of these funds may be used for prepaid debit cards (required to make the signups) and to create promotional materials (required to raise awareness). We will work through schools, community organizations and our own volunteer network to sign up enough households to make the neighborhood (and its earmarked community institutions) eligible for fiber connections.
Thank you all for your support of the Paint the Town Green effort, it has been tremendous!
We’re getting ready for a final push next week. And between all the efforts here and some additional private contributions, I am confident that all the neighborhoods we are targeting—and the schools and such therein—will qualify for service.
About half of the money you have donated so far is already on prepaid debit cards spread out to 10 different organizers on both sides of state line.
- City Center, 18th & Vine, Lincoln Prep, and Key Coalition North have all gone green since this effort began!
- Downtown KCK (which includes Strugglers Hill) and Parkwood Park (Oak Grove) have crossed the halfway point.
- Sumner, Ivanhoe, Blue Hills, and Marlborough have active organizers and are making huge gains.
Your contributions are making a difference!
As of Friday morning, 4,600 more households need to register for all of KCMO and KCK to qualify for service and provide gigabit fiber connections (which are otherwise ridiculously expensive) to all our schools, libraries, police stations, fire stations, and many other public buildings.
We are organizing a phone campaign next week to help pick up what we can’t do in person. We won’t need to pay for everyone, but we don’t want $10 to be a barrier either. $46,000 for all the remaining institutions, the opportunity for gigabit access, and a compelling, affordable regular-speed access is a bargain that any city would jump at. Let’s blow through our $5,000 goal and ensure equal access across Kansas City!