Little by little, Google is giving the U.S. a major boost in broadband speed through Google Fiber, its fiber optic-based Internet service that delivers 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) speeds to consumers and businesses in select territories. Kansas City is one of the lucky few early adopters, and beginning this week, Google will offer an Early Access Program for Google Fiber for small businesses in certain parts of central Kansas City.

"Whether a business uses their connection to move to the cloud, get closer to customers on Hangouts, or bring more transactions online, we’re excited to see what happens when Kansas City businesses say farewell to slow speeds and hello to all the tools and technologies that they need to grow," Google stated in a blog post.


A handful of "fiberhoods" in Kansas, as Google calls them, are eligible for the Early Access Program. According to Google, the roll out is in response to hearing from a variety of small business owners about how they could utilize gigabit Internet service. Google heard pitches from documentary filmmakers, flower shops, web development agencies, and more. Now they'll get their chance, at a reasonable cost of $100 per month and no construction fee (it's being waived for the time being).

Google is also acknowledged interest from small businesses in Provo, Utah, and Austin, Texas, two other places where Google Fiber is already deployed, though it doesn't have any specific plans to offer it at this time. That could change if enough businesses reach out and request it.