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Google to give free fiber Internet to poor communities

The search giant is giving free high-speed Internet to thousands of people who can't afford it.
Written by Jake Smith, Contributor
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Google will give free high-speed Internet to thousands of low-income Americans who can't afford it, according to the Washington Post. The poor communities won't just get any Internet, they'll get the best of the best -- Google Fiber.

The Google Fiber service was switched on for the West Bluff Townhomes Community in Kansas City, Mo on Wednesday. Google told the Washingon Post that as many as 1,300 households in Kansas City, Mo. and Kansas City, Kan. will get a free subscription.

Google Fiber was one of the first gigabit networks available in the US. It's currently slowly rolling out -- only reaching a handful of cities across the US so far. Google Fiber's 1,000 Mbps service enables those users to download the equivalent of an HD movie in about 7 seconds. To compare, the average American has an Internet speed of 57 Mbps.

Google has already rolled out free Internet service in Austin, TX -- but not Gigabit speeds. The initiative is part of President Obama's ConnectHome movement that vowed to link 275,000 low-income households to the Internet.

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