Google's ultrafast Internet draws startups to KC

[Hum]

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) ? Inside a small bungalow on the street separating Kansas City, Kan., from its sister city in Missouri, a small group of entrepreneurs are working on their ideas for the next high-tech startup, tapping Google Inc.'s new superfast Internet connection that has turned the neighborhood into an unlikely settlement dubbed the "Silicon Prairie."

The home on State Line Road is one of several startup-friendly locations that have sprouted up in Kansas City in recent months. The catalyst is Google Fiber, the search-engine giant's fiber-optic network being tested in the Kansas City area that advertises speeds of up to a gigabyte per second ? a rate that massively exceeds the average Internet speeds at homes hooked up with cable modems.

The advantage here for startups is simple: A fast Internet pipe makes it easier to handle large files and eliminates buffering problems that plague online video, live conferencing or other network-intensive tasks. Though the Kansas City location presents challenges for startups, including the ability to raise money outside the traditional Silicon Valley venture capital scene, entrepreneurs like Synthia Payne believe it's the place to be right now for up-and-coming tech companies.

Payne is one of those entrepreneurs hoping to launch her startup dream ? an Internet subscription service for musicians who want to collaborate online ? on the cheap. She shares the State Line Road house, known as the "Home for Hackers," with other startups under a deal that allows them to live rent-free while they develop their business plans.

Google's network was attractive, Payne said, because her business plan "is dependent upon really good, really fast Internet."

"Without this on-ramp here I probably would have found it very difficult to come here," said Payne, who in December moved from Denver to develop CyberJammer.

"The hope is that these startups will move their operations to Kansas City and this will really bless Kansas City, bring jobs and taxes and we'll build a really cool tech scene," Barreth said.

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[Brandon H Supervisor]

I really hope google fiber takes off

companies like cox and century link need some actual competition so they'll actually start to up their game again

century link has at least gotten better since the buy out but cox (at least around here in the Omaha, NE area) is really starting to stagnate and turn to crap

[*RedBull*]

I'm just thinking, how do I buy the stock...

[DrJohnSmitherson]

This 1Gbps internet is the next gen. What would the internet is all the major countries had it deployed? Would make the cloud better thats for sure!

[seta-san]

I really hope google fiber takes off

companies like cox and century link need some actual competition so they'll actually start to up their game again

century link has at least gotten better since the buy out but cox (at least around here in the Omaha, NE area) is really starting to stagnate and turn to crap

awesome. a fellow Omaha dweller.