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May 28 - 30, 2013; Kansas City, MO.
Contact: New York Foreign Press Center Media Relations Officer Daphne Stavropoulos
Telephone: 646-282-2835; email: stavropoulosdz2@state.gov
Journalists from China, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Belgium, France, and Germany visited Kansas City May 28-30 to report on the city’s experience with high-speed Internet. In 2011, local officials welcomed the announcement by Google that the city, spanning across the Missouri and Kansas state line, was chosen to pilot Google Fiber, a project involving the installation of fiber optic cables in designated “fiberhoods.” The homes with fiber ultimately host Internet connection speeds that are 100 times faster than what is available in most areas in the United States.
City officials, business and civic leaders explained how the community is harnessing the gigabit upload and download speeds to create a new ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. The NYFPC arranged meetings with a Google executive and a tour of the Kansas City Startup Village – home to over twenty startup companies, many of which have moved to the area to take advantage of the high-speed Internet connection. Journalists also participated in segments of the Fiber in the Home Council Community Toolkit Conference where they heard industry leaders share best practices and some of the lessons they’ve learned.
