2011 KCK / Wyandotte County Development TrendsCreating Opportunities Through Technology Infrastructure

June 14, 2011

Cities and Economic Development

• Economic Development as a way to improve quality of life

• Economic Development as a way to broaden tax base and help pay for cost of government

• Economic Development as a way to create jobs and employment opportunities for citizens

City Role in Economic Development

• Tax incentives (TIF, STAR Bonds, CID)

• Business Friendly Environment (Regulations)

• Quality of Life Issues (ie Crime/Public Safety)

• Infrastructure

• Education (Current/Future Workforce)

Google FiberKansas City, Kansas

Google Fiber Applicants

• 1,100 cities applied over 1 year ago to be the first city where 1 Gigabit fiber to home would be installed by Google.

Local Applicants• 22 Cities in

Kansas

• 37 Cities in Missouri

Why Did So Many Cities Apply?• Infrastructure

– Cities dwell in infrastructure

• Streets

• Sidewalks

• Sewers

– Good Infrastructure supports commerce and economic development

• Creates Jobs

• Builds thriving communities

Infrastructure & Kansas City• Great infrastructure built this region

– Kansas and Missouri Rivers used for commerce

– Railroad hub (second largest in the country)

• Infrastructure continues to be instrumental – Industry today relies on Rail

– Highway corridors support commerce

– Airports move people and goods

Why did so many cities apply?

City Role in Economic Development

• Tax incentives (TIF, STAR Bonds, CID)

• Business Friendly Environment (Regulations)

• Quality of Life Issues (ie Crime/Public Safety)

• Infrastructure

• Education (Current/Future Workforce)

Economy

• Driven today by data and communication

• Regions largest employers dwell in technology and information

– Sprint

– Garmin

– Cerner

– KU Med

Education• As jobs become more connected to

technology and information, education becomes more critical to our success

• Education must quickly become more focused on technology, information and creativity

Technology Widens Gap Between Rich and PoorGap Between Richest and Poorest Widened in Most Industrialized Countries

Harvard Study slide

Since 1973, jobs that require at least some college have exploded while opportunities for those with just a high school education have shrunk dramatically

Source: March CPS data, various years; Center on Education and the Workforce. Chart from Pathways to Prosperity Project

5/2/11

Our Educational Institutions

• Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools have embraced technology in education

– 2007 High School Laptop Program

– Ipads and Ipods in School

• Kansas City, Kansas Community College– Technical Education Center

– Science and information programs

What does 1 Gig Mean?

• Fast .. Very Fast– Few cities have it – those that do, it very costly

– Fiber to home … means faster connections from backbone to house

– Its infrastructure not a direct job creator

Do we really need 1 Gig?

Insert Facebook here

5/2/11

Do we really need 100x faster?

100 x Faster

• What’s next?

• We’re not sure

• But we’ll find out in KCK

What is Google Fiber to KCK?

• It’s Infrastructure

• It’s Economic Development

• It’s Educational Opportunity

• It’s a Personal Decision

Next Steps

• Project being engineered now

• Will deploy next year and over time

• Demand Driven System

• Pricing will be competitive

• Schools and governments are connected at no charge

5/2/11

Google FiberKansas City, Kansas