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Google Fiber also coming to Shawnee, Kansas following Austin and Provo

Google Fiber also coming to Shawnee, Kansas following Austin and Provo

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Gallery Photo: Google Fiber + TV hardware hands-on photos
Gallery Photo: Google Fiber + TV hardware hands-on photos

Google has just announced that it will be deploying its Fiber internet service to Shawnee, Kansas, after a city council vote there. Shawnee is just outside Kansas City, so it's a natural extension for Google — more so perhaps than Austin, TX or Provo, UT, the other two cities outside of the original launch that will be getting Google Fiber. Unfortunately, Google is not providing an estimated date for the rollout, saying only that "We still have a lot of planning and engineering work to do before we’re ready to bring Fiber to Shawnee."

Since Fiber launched in Kansas City, Google has managed to fill out its television offerings with some of the important channels it originally lacked, including HBO and ESPN. The company also expanded more rapidly within Kansas City than originally planned. The rollout, along with a few competing companies in some other areas, isn't on pace for the FCC's call for gigabit internet in all 50 states by 2015 — but it nevertheless appears to be happening faster than many would have guessed given the difficulties of launching competitive services in US markets.