THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013
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Lawrence neighborhoods to compete for gigabit service
anna Hlavacek
ETTS!
E. COM
REID EGGLESTON
reggleston@kansan.com
Students of the University and Lawrence residents will have the chance to opt in this fall to Lawrence's newest gigabit internet service, Wicked Broadband, touted as an equivalent to Kansas City, Kan's Google Fiber service.
Wicked Broadband, founded and based in Lawrence, will provide their service to one neighborhood in Lawrence when students return to school. Wicked boasts processing speeds up to 1,000 times faster than standard internet.
Following a model similar to the one that landed Google Fiber in Kansas City, Wicked has launched a pre-registration drive for their service to determine which neighborhood will first receive their gigabit broadband this August.
For $10, Lawrence residents can vote to bring Wicked to their neighborhood for the upcoming school year and take advantage of internet service that will allow users to upload videos in seconds rather than hours and watch multiple programs online in HD without buffering or pixilation.
The pre-registration drive, which began April 16 and continues through June 15, is located on Wicked Broadband's website, www.wickedfiber.com. Participants in neighborhoods that do not win the drive will have their $10 refunded.
"This drive gives the community the opportunity to tell us that they want the next generation of broadband," said Wicked Broadband owner, Joshua Montgomery.
Montgomery is excited to expand the promises of gigabit services that became so famous through Google Fiber to the Lawrence community. But he sees a few things that help his company stand out.
One is a technology called a community wireless network which integrates entire neighborhoods of broadband users into one secure grid, streamlining the ease with which Wicked can control services and provide better access to customers during potential disasters or severe weather — a service that Google Fiber customers don't have.
Wicked Broadband is also seeking out a unique connection to Lawrence businesses that will likely need fiber service in the near future. While Google Fiber currently does not fill the niche of business internet integration in Kansas City, Wicked hopes their model will become a platform for other providers to offer gigabit service to local businesses.
In that same spirit of competition, Wicked invites future Lawrence internet providers to join the rapidly growing domain of fiber service through their strategy of providing excess capacity throughout the city. When Wicked first delved into gigabit service laying down fiber cables that spanned Lawrence, they added not just two cables for their own company, but two more cables open for other companies to explore fiber broadband and eventually compete with Wicked for gigabit customers.
Aware of the implications his company and gigabit internet have on the world of communication and entertainment, Montgomery asserts that "this is a game-changer that's turning companies that sell you three services — internet, phone, and cable — at a premium price into one service — data transport."
For those looking to pursue the latest in internet service and get the most out of their devices, Montgomery encourages students to try and "cut the cord" when it comes to cable and phone lines, recommending cheaper alternatives like Vonage and Hulu Plus, each of which are compatible with Wicked's internet service.
Some students have already become loyal Wicked customers. The gigabit service was installed two years ago in half of the Greek houses on campus at a rate of $24 per month per person for each house. While students who live on their own will pay anywhere from $50 per month for 20 Mbps internet to $100 per month for the gigabit package, Montgomery points to successes in the Greek community as reason to test out the service.
For students concerned with being tied down to a pesky contract even after they move to different neighborhoods or away from Lawrence altogether, Montgomery reassures that contracts run in 10-month intervals, from August to May, specifically for the benefit of students.
Montgomery hopes that anyone interested in the gigabit internet revolution will get involved and pre-register for Wicked. While only one neighborhood wins, the company plans to use the results of the drive as a guide for where the service will expand in subsequent years.
— Edited by Elise Reuter
DANIEL PALEN/KANSAN
Wicked Broadband is coming to Lawrence. The company is said to be equivalent to that of Google Fiber, which is already in Kansas City, Kan.
CRAFTS
Local potters' club to host spring pottery sale
The Lawrence Potter's' Guild will host its spring pottery sale this Saturday. May 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Carnegie Building lawn at 9th and Vermont.
the Guild, who also teaches ceramics at the Lawrence Art Center.
It will present the work of 15 local artists and include both functional pottery and artistic pieces.
She's been involved with the Lawrence Potters' Guild for two years and participates in arranging the sales, meetings, and events surrounding it.
"It's a perfect opportunity to purchase a gift that is both hand-made and locally-made; something to last a life time," says Kim Brook, president of
Although Brook herself has been
creating pottery for 8 years now, all members of the Guild have different ranges of pottery experience.
"We have artists with 30 to 40 years of experience and those with only several years; it's open to anyone interested in pottery."
Prices for the pieces range anywhere from $5 to $300, and profits help support the art community in Lawrence.
— Krista Montgomery
HAVE KU graduates always walked down the hill for Commencement? Well, the Campanile has only been in place since the early 1950s, but walking down the hill has been a tradition
— Emily Dcnovan
since 1924, Rock Chalk!
POLICE REPORTS
- A 34-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 600 block of Whitfield on suspicion of domestic battery. No bond was posted.
- Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 27-year-old male was arrested Tuesday on the 1700 block of 24th Street on suspicion of theft of property, third offense. A $3,500 bond was paid.
- A 31-year-old male was arrested Tuesday on the 2300 block of Iowa Street on suspicion of theft of property. A $1,500 bond was paid.
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