On September 2, the City Council of North Kansas City approved a 10-year deal with DataShack for the functioning as well as upkeep of the fiber optic network in the city. The fiber network wills manage and keep, but the city will continue to possess the network.

Under the deal, sales wills collect for broadband services sold to companies.

“For the longest time, our citizens have been paying in to finance liNKCity,” Hopkins says of the fiber to the home network, which was turned up in 2006. “We determined it absolutely was the perfect time to give something back to our residents.”

DataShack additionally will supply free gigabit services to the North Kansas City Public Library, city hall, city churches and all public schools within the city. Offers no programs beyond the ultra high-speed connection, which in a universe of over the top services may be preferable for consumers who is and wish to make their very own alternatives. (See Colorado Gigabit Network Shuns Video, Includes OTT.)

“I have been recommending eternally that individuals should think outside the box, and it is precisely why. The giving away is prodigy, as it allows the accessibility to be a loss leader.”

The deal surely is exceptional, particularly in an environment in which legislators and many broadband providers voice ferocious resistance to the thought of municipally owned networks. Under the deal, North Kansas City will share gains and losses evenly with any possible losses for the city limited at $150,000, including CAPITAL INVESTMENT., with DataShack DataShack will assume all costs related to supplying gigabit services that are free. (See Muni Utilities Take Gigabit Fight to FCC, Maybe Muni Networks, Then What? As well as The Municipal Threat?)

For its part, DataShack views the deal as ways to leverage the bandwidth for its own goals of the network and enlarge its service offerings on, while at the exact same time supplying a service to a community from which both of the founders of the company’s hail.

“From a fiscal sense, I do not understand that we are expecting any great windfall, but it is an opportunity to give back to the city,” says Brooks Brown, cofounder and managing partner of DataShack. “The city keeps possession of the asset and can use it as an economic development tool, and we are in charge of operation as well as upkeep of the asset.”

“So far Google has not determined to come to North Kansas City, and we have had lots of residents request,” she says. “Being able to air that you simply are a gigabit city is an effective method to bring residents and businesses. We have brought lots of different companies — lots of startups are coming this way as they understand we have this ability.”