First Google Fiber Houses Prepare For Plug In

By Alyson Raletz

A fuzzy four-hour installation window from the cable guy typically sends irked homeowners into a series of eye-rolls over their scheduled captivity.

But the owner of a Kansas City, Kan., house in the heart of KC Startup Village, Matthew Marcus, blogged that he “let out an almighty hoooooooowwwwwwllllll” when he learned Google Inc. employees would show up at his abode this week to turn on the ultra-fast Internet network.

The network is set to go live Tuesday after a private media event in the morning.

Forget catching up on mundane tasks while technicians mill about the premises. Marcus and his startup village cohorts plan on taking advantage of every second workers from Google are there.

They have pledged to spend any down time shooting video and taking photos so “everyone around the city, country and world” can watch, too.

Live streaming of one of the most highly anticipated — and documented — activations of TV and Internet services in the area is set to begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday. You’ll be able to watch the process live here.

“Everyone from geeks to the mainstream media is watching every move Google makes regarding their fiber service,” Marcus said Monday in an email. “The thing is, no one is covering their moves first hand and up close and personal. (There’s) lots of coverage from a 10,000-foot view, but only a select few are able to report from the ground. My thinking is the KCSV could provide that coverage, and at the same time give great exposure to the awesome entrepreneur and startup scene in KC.”

KC Startup Village includes roughly a dozen young companies that have set up shop inside houses and buildings near 45th Avenue and State Line Road. They were drawn to the Hanover Heights and Spring Valley neighborhoods partly to access Google’s new network, which is slated to go live there first.

Google’s rollout schedule for other neighborhoods in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., extends through fall 2013.

Google’s fiber network technically was installed at Marcus’ house at 4454 State Line Road, the headquarters of Local Ruckus LLC and several other startups, in late October.

But the network still needs a visit from Google workers before locals can access it.

KC Startup Village will be focusing its video coverage of the Tuesday light-up at the Local Ruckus house and at 4428 State Line Road, Homes for Hackers’ inaugural effort for couch-surfing entrepreneurs trying to connect to Google Fiber.

Those interested in the Google Fiber install also can follow the village’s Twitter hashtag, #kcsv, for updates.