Click here to read this post in English
Mi familia vino desde la Ciudad de México a Kansas City cuando yo tenía once años. No fue fácil. De repente, me encontré sumergido en una cultura nueva y, para empeorar las cosas, no sabía nada de inglés. Esto podría haber sido un grave problema para mi educación y desarrollo, pero lo que sucedió en su lugar es testimonio de la gran comunidad de apoyo que tenemos en KC. El Guadalupe Centers ayudó a mi familia a buscar un lugar para vivir, se aseguró de que había comida suficiente en nuestra mesa y colaboró a que mi hermana y yo entráramos a la escuela. Mi profesora de la escuela Northeast Middle School, Ms. Peterson, se esforzó todo lo que pudo para ayudarme a aprender inglés y a ponerme al día con mis estudios. Después de años de duro trabajo, recibí una beca para ir a la Pembroke Hill School, y más adelante pasé a estudiar en la Universidad de Kansas. Me cuesta trabajo imaginar cómo hacer todo esto sin acceso a Internet. Todavía recuerdo el día en que mi mamá nos consiguió nuestra primera computadora, y cuánto más fácil se me hizo el aprender, estudiar y permanecer en contacto con mi familia en México.
Hoy trabajo en el equipo de Google Fiber aquí en Kansas City. Y ahora, más que nunca, creo que el acceso a Internet es esencial. La Web no es sólo para el establecimiento de una red social y para e-mail: consiste en encontrar y solicitar trabajos. Consiste en educación y gestión financiera inteligentes. Quiero poder devolverle a esta comunidad que me ha dado tanto, y ayudar a todos a tener acceso a Internet.
Este artículo está escrito específicamente para aquellos de nosotros que hablamos español. Queremos que sepan todo sobre Google Fiber, las ventajas que podría traer a nuestra comunidad, y cómo pueden registrarse para recibir el servicio.
Para hacer eso, contamos con algunos recursos que puedes utilizar:
Nuestro sitio Web está disponible en español. Para ver en qué consiste Google Fiber, cuánto cuesta y cómo conseguirlo, visita nuestra página Web en español.
Contamos con materiales educativos en español. Ven a este sitio Web si quieres leer o descargar un folleto informativo con Google Fiber planes y precios. También tenemos folletos informativos en nuestro espacio Fiber Space en el 1814 de Westport Rd, de los que estaremos encantados de darte copias si nos visitas.
Tenemos representantes de Atención al Cliente que hablan español. Quieren hablar contigo y contestar a tus preguntas acerca de Fiber. Llámalos al (866) 777-7550 y pulsa uno para español.
La comunidad de Kansas City es muy importante para mí. Y deseo hacer todo lo que pueda para ayudar a que todos puedan conectarse. Si te interesa Fiber, aprovecha por favor estas oportunidades para obtener más información sobre el servicio. Y, si tienes preguntas, siempre puedes venir y hablar conmigo en el Fiber Space. Esperamos verte allí.
Publicado por Carlos Casas, Manager del equipo de Google Fiber

Haga click aquí para leer en Español
My family moved from Mexico City to Kansas City when I was eleven years old. It wasn’t easy. I was suddenly immersed in an entirely new culture, and, to make matters worse, I didn’t know any English. This could have been a big problem for my education and development—but what happened instead is a testament to the supportive community we have in KC. The Guadalupe Centers helped my family find a place to live, made sure we had food on our table and helped my sister and me get into school. My teacher at Northeast Middle School, Ms. Peterson, went above and beyond to help me learn English and get me caught up with my studies. After years of hard work, I received a scholarship to the Pembroke Hill School, and later went on to the University of Kansas. It’s hard for me to imagine going through my journey without access to the Internet. I still remember the day my mom got us our first computer, and how much easier it made learning, studying and staying in touch with my family back in Mexico.
Today I work on the Google Fiber team here in Kansas City. And now, more than ever, I believe that access to the Internet is important. The web isn’t just about social networking and email—it’s about finding and applying for jobs. It’s about smart financial management and education. I want to give back to the community that has given me so much, and help them get online.
This post is specifically for those of you who speak Spanish. We want to tell you all about Google Fiber, the benefits that it could bring to our community, and how you can pre-register for service.
To do that, we have some resources that you can use:
Our website is available in Spanish. Visit our Spanish website to learn about what Google Fiber is, how much it costs and how to get it.
We have educational materials in Spanish. Visit this website to read or download a brochure with information about Google Fiber plans and prices. We also have flyers with information at our Fiber Space at 1814 Westport Rd, and we’re happy to give you copies if you come visit us.
We have customer service representatives who speak Spanish. They want to talk to you and answer your questions about Fiber. Give them a call at (866) 777-7550 and press one for Spanish.
The Kansas City community is so important to me. And I want to do everything I can to help everyone get connected. If you’re interested in Fiber, please take advantage of all of these great opportunities to learn about service. And, if you have questions, you can always come and talk to me at the Fiber Space. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Posted by Carlos Casas, Google Fiber Team Manager

We know many of you who live in apartments or condos have had difficulties in pre-registering for Google Fiber. We’re sorry about the delays and complications. The reason is because collecting addresses for these buildings—also called Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs)—isn’t completely automated, and sometimes we don’t get the right apartment numbers. The process to fix this has been long and painful. We’re making great progress though, and we thought you should know what’s going on.
Since pre-registration opened on July 26th, we’ve been verifying residential addresses reported to us via customer support or website address reviews. So far we’ve been able to resolve over half of the open questions from MDUs and single family homes. The remaining addresses, mainly in MDUs, required a deeper level of verification. In order to confirm these, we’ve been contacting property owners and managers. We’ve also visited hundreds of condos and apartment complexes to get a list of unit numbers.
We’re hard at work updating our address data and responding to the remaining customers later this week. I promise we’re putting all hands on deck to close this out ASAP.
Thank you to @jasonfharper, @bigcomedown, and all the other Kansas Citians who have contacted us regarding this issue.
Posted by Alana Karen, Director, Service Delivery, Google Fiber
@gfiberalana

School officially starts this week for many schools in Kansas City—so we’ve decided to celebrate this annual milestone with a “Back to School Day” of our own.
Join us this Sunday, August 19th, at the Fiber Space where we’ll be hosting demonstrations and answering questions about what Google Fiber means for education in Kansas City. We’ve also lined up some unique local entertainment and treats for guests, including storytelling via telepresence, face painting, special Google Fiber schwag and of course, food.
If you’re interested in the impact that Google Fiber can have on education and you can’t wait to join us on Sunday, you can learn more now. Check out this blog post about technology and education, written by Dr. Cynthia Lane, superintendent of Kansas City, Kan. Public Schools. You can also tune in on our YouTube channel to hear some thoughts from fellow Kansas Citians.
Please drop in and join us on Sunday and help spread the word to other faculty, students, and parents!
Event Recap:
Back to School Day at the Fiber Space
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Noon to 6:00PM
1814 Westport Rd. Kansas City, MO


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Posted by Rachel Hack, Community Manager, Google Fiber

Ed. Note: From time to time, we invite guests to post on our Fiber blog. Today we’re welcoming Dr. Cynthia Lane, superintendent of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. Cindy has over 30 years of experience in education, mostly in Kansas City, and is an advocate for leveraging technology in classrooms to create a better learning experience for students. She’s joining us now to talk about how the Internet can help enhance education for Kansas City students.
Almost 100 years ago, the poet Kahlil Gibran wrote of children: “...Their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.” When I think about the students in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and about their futures, I realize that the world that they are growing into will be very much different than the world that my generation grew into. Life moves forward, not backward, and it is our job to help our students move forward into their world.
To do this, we have a goal as a system: “Every student will graduate prepared for college and careers in a global society, and at every level, students will be on-track and on-time for success.” One of the things that every student will need to graduate prepared for college and careers is a strong experience with and ability to use technology. Unfortunately, in a district where more than 85% of our students are eligible for free/reduced lunch, many of our students would not ordinarily have access to technology at home. That is the reason that, back in 2007, our district made the decision to lease a laptop computer for every high school student.
Now in the sixth year of the Laptop for Learning program, our students have used their laptops to move away from being merely “consumers” of information ten years ago, to being “producers” of information and knowledge today. Among other things, they have used their computers to create impressive multi-media presentations, to design provocative works of art, and to sequence DNA in a plant that had never been sequenced before.
Even with this tremendous power in their hands, many of our students have suffered by not having 24/7 access to the full power of technology that comes from having access to the Internet. For that reason, I was thrilled when I learned that Google Fiber was going to bring high-speed connectivity to Kansas City, Kansas. Having access to blazing-fast Internet speeds, both at school and at home, will open up our students’ lives and accelerate their learning, in a number of ways.
First, it will help to connect them to the world, allowing them to use technology both to see the world and to bring the world to them. Next, it will allow us to “flip” the classroom, giving students access to high-quality videos at home, where they can learn at their own pace, while classroom time can be used for practice, working collaboratively with other students under the guidance of their instructors.
Finally, it will help us to share all of the wonderful things happening in our schools with our community and the world. We will be able to broadcast musical and theatrical performances, debate and forensic tournaments, athletic events, and even academic “assessments,” where students demonstrate their knowledge of a subject through a live “demonstration.”
High-speed fiber will make a tremendous difference for this community and for our students. I am thrilled that Kansas City, Kansas has been given the opportunity to participate in the beginning of this amazing revolution.
Posted by Dr. Cynthia Lane, Superintendent of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

If you love TV—and want to learn more about Google Fiber TV—then today’s blog post will be right up your alley.
On our website we’ve updated our Plans & Pricing page to be clearer about which channels will be offered with our Gigabit + TV package. Right now there are about 185 channels included, and we’ll continue to add more of your favorites over the next few months. So, for $120, our Gigabit + TV subscribers will get all of these channels, along with a new Nexus 7 tablet (which doubles as your new remote) and ultra fast Gigabit Internet. You’ll also get HD content and a DVR with 2TB of storage that can record up to 8 shows at a time for no extra charge. And remember, for this package we’re waiving the $300 construction fee.
For our TV customers who are also movie fans, there’s more. We’re excited to offer both Starz and Showtime as optional add-on packages. Both packages are full of popular HD movie channels, with enough action, drama, and family-oriented programming to keep movie lovers happy for years. Our Gigabit + TV customers can add on 17 Starz channels for an additional $10 per month. They can also add on 11 Showtime channels for an additional $10 per month.
Finally, our TV service already offers some great Spanish-language programming. But we’ll also have some additional popular Hispanic channels available for an additional $5 per month, including Univision tlnovelas, Bandamax, and Telehit.
In summary, here are the three new add-on packages that will be available for our Gigabit + TV customers:
• Starz ($10/month for Gigabit + TV customers): Starz, Starz Cinema, Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, Starz in Black, Starz Kids and Family, Encore, Encore Action, Encore Español, Encore Family, Encore Love, Encore Drama, Encore Suspense, Encore Westerns, IndiePlex, MoviePlex, RetroPlex
• Showtime ($10/month for Gigabit + TV customers): Showtime, Sho2, Sho Beyond, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Family Zone, Sho Next, Showtime Showcase, Sho Women, Flix, The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra
• Hispanic ($5/month for Gigabit + TV customers): Univision tlnovelas, FOROTv, Telehit, Bandamax, Ritomoson Latino, De Película, De Película Clásico
All of these channels are also listed on our website, which we’ll continue to update with more information as we add new programming. Stay tuned!
Posted by Larry Yang, Senior Product Manager, Google Fiber

As Director of Service Delivery for Google Fiber (a.k.a Customer Service), I’ve been thinking a lot about you, Kansas City. I joined the Fiber team last September after almost 10 years in sales & operations at Google because I wanted to treat you better. Sure, I was excited to improve support in a historically service-challenged industry. But most of all I was excited to transform your day, especially when something needs fixing. From sign-up through payment and installation, customer support can be better. Much better.
I bet I know what bothers you because it bugs me too. I don’t want to wait on hold. I don’t want to talk to a phone system. I want to talk to one human who knows the answer and can solve my problem quickly. I also want good chat and email options for the times when I can’t talk. When you come to my house, I want you to respect my time and property. And please give me an option of somewhere local where I can talk to you face-to-face. Respect me, and I’ll reward you with my business for years to come.
Day by day, we’ve been making this possible. I hired a great team—a close-knit combination of Google Fiber team members spread across Mountain View, Austin and Kansas City. These are all people who have something to prove; we want to solve problems and change your mind about customer support. We’re training our whole team on friendly processes and smart tools, so that any one of us can handle almost any call. We’re also focused on getting your installation right by showing up when we say we will and doing the job right the first time. We want to surprise you (in a good way).
Right now we’re focused on answering your rally questions, particularly for those of you in fiberhoods whose addresses are not yet recognized by our system. We know resolution there has been slow, and we’re speeding that up. Keep the feedback coming, and we’ll keep learning and improving.
I won’t lie—customer service is hard to do at scale and harder to do with a new product. But hard isn’t impossible, and really, it’s our job. No excuses here. Call us, email or chat; we can’t wait to hear from you.
Posted by Alana Karen, Director of Service Delivery, Google Fiber
@GFiberAlana

Welcome to the second full week of the Google Fiber rally! So far this week we’ve had some great conversations with Fiber-curious Kansas Citians at our Fiber Space and throughout the community at locations like the Plaza Library, Hyde Park, Kansas City Kansas Community College and Indian Springs Mall.
Like last week, there are a few common questions that are popping up frequently—so let’s take a moment to clear them up here on our blog:
1. When I tried to pre-register for Fiber, I had to submit my address for review. This was a few days ago and I haven’t heard back yet. What’s going on?
Don’t worry—we have your request and we’re getting to it. We want to make sure we’re thoroughly reviewing every address we receive. This process takes time, but we’re increasing the number of people on our team who are working on this, and we’ll get back to you shortly.
2. I live in an apartment building and I keep getting a pre-registration error. What should I do?
We’re sorry about the inconvenience. We know that we’re having a processing problem with some unit numbers in apartment buildings, but we’re working to fix it. Be sure to fill out our address review form and we’ll get back to you within a few days’ time.
3. I own and rent out property and I want to get Google Fiber. What should I do?
First, ask your tenants to pre-register for Google Fiber. Then, please visit this website and provide us with your contact information. If your fiberhood qualifies, we’ll be in touch with you to discuss the details about hooking up your building(s).
4. I completed my pre-registration without having to pay $10. Am I still pre-registered?
No. If you did not enter your credit, debit or prepaid debit card, you did not complete the pre-registration process yet. Please visit fiber.google.com and pre-register now.
Hopefully this helps. And, as always, if you have any other questions you can just give us a call, chat with us or email us and we'll help you out. Or come see us at the Fiber Space, 1814 Westport Road in Kansas City, MO.
Posted by Rachel Hack, Community Manager, Google Fiber

We’ve been so excited about the number of pre-registrations, visitors to our Fiber Space, and amount of feedback that we’ve seen over the first week of the Google Fiber rally. Your enthusiasm is contagious—and we’re going to help it spread.
Next week, we hope to welcome three more communities in Kansas into our Google Fiber service area. We’re happy to announce that we’ve reached a tentative agreement to bring Fiber to the cities of Westwood, Westwood Hills and Mission Woods, Kan. Pending approval from each of the three City Councils, we plan to include these communities in a future rally for Google Fiber (timing to be announced, so stay tuned).

To be clear, this does not change the construction schedule for eligible homes in Kansas City, Kan. and Central Kansas City, Mo. And homes in North and South Kansas City, Mo. will still be able to pre-register for Fiber in our second rally. Today we are simply adding three new Google Fiber communities for a future rally.
To our new communities, welcome! And to Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo., keep the pre-registration going. We can't wait to bring a gig to your fiberhoods soon.
Posted by Kevin Lo, General Manager, Google Access

It’s been five days since we kicked off the Google Fiber Rally in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, and we’ve been blown away by the community’s reaction. So far, 40 fiberhoods have qualified for service, more than 2,000 people have visited our Fiber Space, we’ve talked to thousands of people via online and phone customer service, and we’ve distributed upwards of 2,000 ice cream sandwiches from our Fiber trucks.
Through our many conversations, we’ve noticed that some details about Google Fiber may still be a little unclear. So today we’re going to share and answer some of the top questions we’ve been getting about Google Fiber, so that we can keep everyone up-to-date in Kansas City.
1. When are you building to North and South Kansas City, Mo.?
Our first pre-registration phase includes homes in Kansas City, Kan. and homes in Central Kansas City, Mo. But we are definitely committed to serving homes in North and South Kansas City, Mo. in our second pre-registration phase. Residents should stay tuned to google.com/fiber and this blog for more information.
2. I have a business and I can’t pre-register. Why?
We’re focused on making residential connections right now, but we’ll have an announcement about a small business offering soon.
3. How did Google determine fiberhood pre-registration goals?
Like many of our projects at Google, we relied on data. All fiberhoods are different. They range in size and density as well as speed and ease of Fiber construction. For example, houses that are spread out (like in the suburbs) require more time, fiber and labor, and therefore are more difficult to connect than homes in a dense urban environment. So, in those fiberhoods that are more complicated to build, we want to make sure that enough residents will want Fiber service. We don’t want Fiber to be out of reach for anyone—it’s our hope that the pre-registration goals will be practical and attainable.
4. Help! I’m in a fiberhood but I keep getting a pre-registration error.
There are two possible issues here that we're working hard to fix. Some addresses (mostly apartments) with unit numbers are causing errors during pre-registration. Also, the "submit address review" form doesn't always work. In either case, please give us a call, chat with us or email us and we'll help you out.
5. What if I don’t have access to the Internet to learn about Fiber or pre-register?
We know that 25% of Kansas Citians don’t have access to broadband at home. So, to help spread the word about Google Fiber, we have a dedicated street team that visits fiberhoods throughout Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. Our teams pass out flyers (and ice cream!), answer questions about Google Fiber and help pre-register anyone who is interested. Look out for our Google Fiber trucks in a fiberhood near you. We also have a local building, or Fiber Space, that Kansas Citians can visit. Google Fiber team members are there every day of the week to answer questions and help with pre-registration.

6. Why is the construction fee for the Free Internet service so expensive? What do I do if I can’t afford it?
As a Google Fiber customer, you will have a gigabit-ready Fiber cable routed to, and built directly into, your home. Studies show that simply having this connection will add value to your home and will put you on the cutting edge of broadband technology. We’re charging $300 for this construction.
To make the construction fee more manageable, subscribers can break it into payments of $25 per month during the first year, and free for at least the next six years. Over time, this Free Internet service is very affordable—it works out to an average of $3.57 per month over seven years’ time.
7. Why do I have to pay $10 just to pre-register?
Your $10 pre-registration fee will be applied to your Google Fiber service. If your fiberhood qualifies for service, your $10 will go directly to either your first month of service fees (for our Gigabit +TV or Gigabit Internet plans), or to your $300 construction fee (for the Free Internet plan). If your fiberhood does not qualify for service, your $10 will be refunded.
8. How did you choose which public buildings you would connect for free in each fiberhood?
When we announced that we’d bring Google Fiber to Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. we also committed to building free, 1 Gigabit per second connections to the cities’ choice of public buildings. Both cities collaborated on a list of the public buildings that they wanted to connect, and then they gave the list to us. We will bring Fiber to these buildings that are located in qualified fiberhoods.
We’ll try and update this blog as we get more questions in. And in the meantime, if you have your own burning questions, there are a lot of resources you can turn to:
• Read our online FAQ, which has a lot of common questions and answers.
• Follow Google Fiber on Twitter to find out where our street teams will be visiting
• Chat live with a Fiber team member online
• Email Google Fiber support
• Call Google Fiber support
• Visit our Fiber Space and learn about Fiber in-person with our team members (RSVP if you want to avoid a long wait time)

We’re here to help, so get in touch!
Posted by Kevin Lo, General Manager, Google Access