A recent Wall Street Journal article that examines the inclusiveness and accessibility of Google Fiber in Kansas City includes commentary from Angela Siefer, senior research scientist at the Center for Digital Inclusion. Siefer researched the impact of Google Fiber as part of the IMLS-funded Inclusive Gigabit Libraries Project.

Article abstract:

Frustrated by the hammerlock of U.S. broadband providers, Google Inc. has searched for ways around them to provide faster Internet speeds at lower cost, via everything from high-speed fiber to satellites.

In the process, it is changing how next-generation broadband is rolled out.

Telecom and cable companies generally have been required to blanket entire cities, offering connections to every home. By contrast, Google is building high-speed services as it finds demand, laying new fiber neighborhood by neighborhood.

As Google’s model gathers momentum, it stirs up questions about whether residents of poor or underserved neighborhoods will be left behind.

To read the full article, visit http://online.wsj.com/articles/google-fuels-internet-access-plus-debate-1408731700.

Image courtesy of the Kansas City Star/Zuma Press.