What Will Google Fiber Mean for Kansas City? Part 1

I've been asked this question with more frequency lately as Google Fiber begins to become more of a reality for folks here in Kansas City, KS and KCMO.  Of course the answers are way more far reaching and deep than I can speak on, but that's never stopped me before.

I'll break this blog post up into 4 parts.

Part 1: Big Picture of Google Fiber

Part 2: KC Agencies and Google Fiber

Part 3: SMCKC and Google Fiber

Part 4: Just the nerd in me

My goal is to get some conversation started.  "With great power, comes great responsibility."  Yes it's a quote from Spiderman and yes that makes me a giant nerd, but it's fundamental truth that KC better get the hang of quickly because we we're being given keys to dad's porsche and we gotta make the most of it.

Google stated from the very beginning that, "they were building the sandbox and filling it with sand, but it was up to us to bring in the Tonka trucks and build the sand castles."  I love that quote by the way, but it simply states that they aren't providing us the answers or the opportunities that Google Fiber will create.  Tha'ts up to us, and so far I haven't been impressed with the amount of people stepping up to the plate.

Big Picture:

This is where I attempt to jump 10,000 feet up in the air for a minute and take a snapshot of the big picture.

national gigabit interent speed infrastructure will be crucial for the US to hold onto it's stake as the world's technology leader. Data is king and there is a whole lot of it.  In order to take advantage of it, we need to build bigger pipes for it to flow through and that MUST go all the way to the home.  It's all about the access.

It's a BIG win for small cities everywhere, not just Kansas City.  Just like small companies are able to act more nimble and adapt more quickly to change, it seems the same can be said for cities.  The implementation of gigabit speeds will come from small cities the size of KC first as larger cities have WAY more red tape to deal with as well as larger relationships with the telecommunication companies that may have interest in slowing Google's process.

Education:

I'm excited in opportunities that will be brought to our school systems and the next generation of Kansas City.  Gigiabit speeds will completely transform the way children and adults will be educated.  With schools already beginning to take cursive writing from the curricullum, we need to come to grips and grab hold of these changes and techologies and stop wasting time trying to hold onto the past.  Education systems that can adapt will reap the rewards and those that cannot won't survive.

The ability for a single mom to get a creditited MBA in her home is possible now,but with gigabit access to the home that degree may just come from Harvard School of Business.

Communication:

I think companies like SKC that deal in video teleconferencing are going to be really happy for the next few years.  Gigabit speeds mean a major jump in the experiences that will be possible with communicating across the country and the world.  So as more data is able to get through, say goodbye to crappy conference calls and choppy video that doesn't sync up to the action.  The closer this communication gets to the real thing, the more companies will let proximity decide partnerships and that is great for the midwest.

Medical:

Companies like Cerner that deal in medical data or school's like KU Med have had to be jumping up and down right after Google made their announcement.

Think about the ability to push a video or high res x-rays instantly across the world to a specialist in India or even test results across the city to your general practioner.  Though these things are possible now, the speed and infrastructure needed isn't. 

Hospitals have changed VERY slowly to new technoligies when it comes to communication and data organization.  it's a hefty task, and there is still a long way to go, but wider pipes of data will help.  With the processing power taking place elsewhere, there will also be a decrease in cost of the technology needed to run on this grid.  

Google Fiber is a BIG topic and I've just skimmed the surface, but in my next entry I'll talk about how I feel Google Fiber will effect the marketing agencies here in KC.

As I said before, this is meant to spark conversation, so please use the comments section to make this happen.  Link back to your own blog entry and put some content out there.