Starting Wednesday, all residents at the West Bluff housing complex on Cesar Chavez Avenue will have to free high speed internet.
Click here to check your address to get started with Google Fiber
It’s happening because of partnership between Google Fiber and Connect Home, an initiative by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the White House to accelerate broadband adoption.
HUD secretary Julian Castro emphasized how important this opportunity is for residents in public housing.
The internet access will help people like Tamara Butler, who is epileptic.
Butler says the only way she can get to see health record online is on her phone.
“When I was in Texas I did have a computer in my house," she said. "We had internet in the classrooms and kids had to do homework on the internet but now here with my son growing up he’ll have internet at home."
The free service is a major relief for her and her three-year old son.
Residents at West Bluff aren’t only get free high-speed internet but there will also be sign up events where representatives with Google Fiber will be on site to help create accounts.
There will also be digital literary training programs at a computer lab Google Fiber helped create for the housing authority. Non-profit partners will provide low cost refurbished devices for residents to purchase, Rachel Merlo, the community impact manager for Google Fiber said.
Residents learned about the services two weeks ago when Google Fiber installed equipment in their apartments.
Screenshot of Kansas City Google Fiber map. Click here an interactive map.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com.
