Google began rolling out a new program this week that will provide free and fast Internet connections to residents in public housing.
The Housing Authority of Kansas City partnered with Google to launch the first part of the program Wednesday at the West Bluff housing complex in Kansas City, Mo. All 100 homes were wired with Google Fiber and families are now able to access the super-fast Internet at up to 1,000 Mbps. Google is working to connect up to nine properties across Kansas City, reaching more than 1,300 families in public housing.
Google then hopes to bring the free Internet service to other cities that already have Google Fiber, such as Provo, Utah, and Austin, Texas, or where they plan to have it, including Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
“The U.S. has some of the most expensive broadband in the world, while lagging far behind other countries in Internet speeds. And for families in affordable housing, cost can be one of the biggest barriers to getting online,” Dennis Kish, vice president for Google Fiber, said in a blog post.
The program is part of a partnership between Google and ConnectHome, a larger program launched by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the White House last year to bring Internet to more families and school-age children living in public housing.
Google Fiber is Google’s service that brings broadband Internet and cable television to a select, but growing number of locations.
