Kansas City residents are getting a second change to sign up for Google Fiber, says Google. The efforts to slowly build out several high-speed networks where Google acts as an Internet Service provider first began in Kansas City, Mo. around two years ago, before arriving in other markets, like Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah, for example. Now those who live in Google Fiber’s initial test market will be able to sign up if they missed their chance the first time around, or have more recently moved into one of the supported neighborhoods.
Starting today through December 22, those living in one of the 180 “fiberhoods” (neighborhoods where Google Fiber is available) in either Kansas City, Kan. or Central Kansas City, Mo. can head over to this website and choose from one of the three packages Google Fiber offers. One of these is the “free internet” package (up to 5 Mbps download/1 Mbps up), which technically costs $25/month in construction fees for the first year, or a one-time payment of $300. There’s also the Gigabit Internet package for $70/month or the Gigabit Internet + TV package for $120/month. All plans also include 1 TB of Google Drive cloud storage.
In addition to re-opening the service to households in the existing fiberhoods, Google also announced that those in surrounding areas of Kansas City, North, South Kansas City, Mo, Gladstone, Grandview and Raytown will be able to sign up for Google Fiber starting this March. As with its earlier sign-up process, various regions will be designated as “fiberhoods,” and within each of these areas, a certain percentage of households will have to commit to signing up before Google begins the installation process. The company says it will offer more information on these later launches early next year.
To encourage adoption, customers who sign up for Google Fiber will receive a Nexus 7 tablet “holiday gift” which will be available for pickup from Google’s Fiber space. This tablet works as a remote control for the TV service, too, and is included with the plan. Those who sign up for Fiber + TV will be able to pick up their tablet early, starting now, without having to wait for the service to be installed – expected for Spring 2014.