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Google's free Fiber option in Kansas City vanishes

The ultra-fast broadband service will now set users back a minimum of $50 a month.
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer

Google has axed the free option for Fiber users in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Kansas City was the first area Google launched the high-speed broadband service in 2011. The fiber-optic broadband service, offered by Google, is only available across a select few cities in the United States and offers speeds of up to 1000 Mbps -- which is far higher than traditional broadband.

In order to entice customers, the company used to offer a free service -- with up to 5 Mbps download and upload speed -- as long as installation was paid for.

However, as Google Fiber expands and demand stays strong, this option has been quietly removed.

Those who wish to sign up for Fiber in Kansas City now must pay a minimum of $50 per month, with a waived installation fee in return for a one-year contract, and can expect speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Alternatively, Google is also offering speeds of up to 1000 Mbps and 1TB cloud storage for $70 per month.

As noted by Mashable, Provo and Austin, Texas, still offer the "Basic Internet" free option -- for now.

Google Fiber is scheduled to arrive in Atlanta next, where it seems customers will not have the free 5 Mbps option either, according to the project's page.

The infrastructure and cabling required for the broadband service are currently under construction in Charlotte. Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Salt Lake City. San Antonio is still at the design and planning stage.

In February, Google announced plans to bring Google Fiber to San Francisco. Luckily for residents, the city's officials are in talks with the tech giant to use existing, dormant cabling for the service rather than starting from scratch, which will encourage a more rapid deployment of the service than can otherwise be expected.

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