By Ben McCarthy
Like many homeowners around Waldo and the Ward Parkway area, Carroll Iorg can still think back a decade ago to his frustrations with his previous Internet provider. That changed in 2014 when Google Fiber started connecting homes in his neighborhood with blazing fast Internet speeds.
Iorg, now retired, was so enthused with the prospect of Google bringing the service to the area, that he, serving as the lead organizer for the Ward Parkway Homeowners Association, threw himself into any and all efforts to promote the new service to neighbors and attempted to get as many people on board as possible.
“I went to all of those events and presentations that (Google) was putting back then to get people to sign up and spread the word about what high speed, affordable Internet service would mean for us,” Iorg said. “They had those bunny yard signs everywhere, and they even had someone dressed up as one at an event!”
In fact, Iorg still has his “bunny,” which oddly enough became its own hot commodity in 2014, as Google distributed them to all those committing to sign up for the service. The bunnies got so popular that Google ran out, and had them on backorder. When they did reemerge for new customers, thieves were lying in wait to pick them off, years before Ring video doorbells could easily identify such porch pirates.
Iorg still resides near 73rd and Ward Parkway, and describes the customer service he and his neighbors have received as “impeccable” through the past decade, setting Google’s operation head and shoulders above providers, like Spectrum, that had monopolistic control over entertainment and communication utilities.
Julie Slead, who lives not far from Iorg in the Waldo area, was one of the many customers who jumped to sign up for Fiber installation at her home when Google was offering the service at a much lower speed for free for seven years (after an upfront installation cost of $300). That basic or “free” Internet option was eventually eliminated in 2021, much to the dismay of Slead and others.
“They cut my ‘free’ service off a year early without any real explanation, which I think is an FCC violation,” Slead said. “Otherwise, I’ve been very content with the actual Internet service.”
Those early sign-ups, like Iorg and Slead, often added television and phone services to their plans. That television service (now available through YouTube TV) caused consternation on two fronts: (1) households could have only four television units hooked up, and (2) the popular show “The Walking Dead,” wasn’t available as Google had yet to come to an agreement with AMC (eventually added in 2016).
Beyond the details of the services, Iorg also remembers that Google, and city officials, were pitching the service as a major catalyst that would have a broader transformative effect on the city and region.
“They certainly advertised that they would be doing a lot for disadvantaged areas of Kansas City (Kansas and Missouri) and going to those areas first,” Iorg said. “It certainly hasn’t solved problems in the inner city, with people and their access [to the Internet].
Former Mayor Sly James, pushes back on the notion that Google’s work failed to deliver on those early, lofty promises. Speaking to the Telegraph, James pinpoints Google’s launch as the spark that spearheaded growth throughout the city in a very aggressive manner, while also raising the profile of Kansas City throughout the country.
“It certainly propelled us to go after bigger things, which we’re now seeing begin to take shape,” James said. “We were held back by things, like a lack of hotel space and the (old) airport – and it launched us onto the public stage, nationally and internationally, in a very constructive way.”
James says Google’s entry in the city also brought to light a “digital divide” that exists in the city. The concept, while not new, theorizes that there is significant, unequal access to digital devices and technologies (i.e. smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) which then drives inequality around access to information and resources (i.e. healthcare tools and management, job applications, etc.). James and other proponents of the idea insists the problem persists around the country and different permutations, however recent studies suggest Americans are having no trouble finding their way onto the Internet. Gen Z, in particular, finds their way online to a record breaking 6 hours a day.
Some areas of the city had to wait much longer for Fiber hookups, while others are still awaiting altogether. Belton only started getting houses connected two years ago, and the technology still doesn’t reach the lesser populated outskirts of the city.
In March, Google announced that they would be making an 8 Gigabit Internet service available to all connected neighborhoods. The company says the new 8 Gig speed is intended for “tech professionals, data scientists, and tech enthusiasts” who need to transfer large files or use the Internet for “heavy-duty activities”.
Connected homes are now choosing between Gigabit speeds of 1, 2, 5, or 8, with the 1 Gigabit speed costing $70 a month (the same price as when it launched), and the newest 8 Gigabit speed reaching $150 a month. Google has even embarked on testing 20 Gigabit speeds in the city, including through a partnership launched last year with UMKC and their School of Science and Engineering. The company has not said if the speed will be available for local customers in 2025.
Whatever speeds the company reaches, they insist there will be no future need for construction to neighborhoods already connected. During his mayoral tenure, James heard a great deal from constituents about the various disruptions and property damage that the installation process was causing. A decade on, he says he never had a concern about the project coming to fruition, and suggests he couldn’t have cared less about the critics who fixated on the issue, and refused to acknowledge the opportunity it was for the city.
“Every project in the history of man has had people (there) to bitch about it,” James said. “If it was up to those people, we’d still be riding around in buggies with horse crap in the streets.”