Google Fiber’s next location: Shawnee, Kansas

By Mariella Moon May 3, 2013

google-fiber_dt — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Which lucky city is next in line for Google Fiber? Apparently, it’s Shawnee, Kansas, located just southwest of first Fiber site Kansas City. City officials made the announcement on Shawnee’s website yesterday, but made clear that “there is still a lot of planning and engineering work to do” before Google’s super-fast internet service can be launched in the area. Google itself doesn’t have an estimate date for when Fiber will be available to Shawnee’s citizens, but considering the service isn’t even available in every area of Kansas City and the company already has quite a lineup of Fiber sites, it’s safe to assume it won’t be anytime soon.

Aside from the fact that bringing Fiber to Shawnee is a no-brainer due to its proximity with Kansas City, Google says it chose the location because it’s “also been impressed by Shawnee’s vision to keep their citizens informed and involved using the Internet. Recently, the City modernized their website, so that locals can easily access city info – from crime maps to fiscal reports to streamed audio of city council meetings.”

Nine months after naming Kansas City as Fiber’s first home, Google revealed its plans to bring the service to Austin, Texas next, followed by Provo, Utah, and then Olathe, Kansas. Google Fiber is the fastest internet available in the U.S. today, having the capacity to stream Netflix videos at 3.45 megabits per second on average.

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Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…

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