AfterDawn: News

Topeka, Kansas gets renamed 'Google, Kansas'

Topeka, Kansas mayor Bill Bunten has announced today that the city will temporarily be renamed Google, in an effort to get the search giant to bring their proposed 1000Mbit free Internet to the city, via the "Fiber for Communities" program.

"It's just fun. We're having a good time of it," says Bunten. "There's a lot of good things that are going on in our city."

Cities were given a March 26th deadline to explain to Google why they are interested in the broadband, and Google will then choose a couple of cities for the pilot project, with no more than 500,000 in population total.



When asked if they would make the name permanent if Google invested in them, Bunten laughed.

"Oh, heavens no, Topeka? We are very proud of our city and Topeka is an Indian word which means 'a good place to grow potatoes.' We're not going to change that."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 3 Mar 2010 17:59

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• 8 comments

• slickwill

  If you are familiar with the Cyber Security Act, that passed the House in February, the bill is going to put in place a internet grid that is controlled by the government and everyone will have to switch to the government's internet. This will pretty much destroy all the privacy that we have on the net, and violate our constitutional rights. Google's pilot broadband project, is suspected to be in cooperation with the government to set up and test the "government internet."
  
  Cyber Security Bill: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-773

  3.3.2010 18:40 #1

• Josipher

  lol i wouldve bet an arm and a leg the conspiracy enthusiasts wil post something regarding this

  3.3.2010 20:29 #2

• amf0802

  I'd change my name to Google if they guaranteed me that I would be given 1 gig internet connection.

  3.3.2010 20:37 #3

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by amf0802: I'd change my name to Google if they guaranteed me that I would be given 1 gig internet connection.As long as it's 1GB symmetrical, without bandwidth throttles or caps, and guaranteed to be free from prosecution by the RIAA, MPAA, etc. I'd do it too. ;)

  3.3.2010 21:00 #4

• themind

  Ignorance is bliss. Isn't that right Josipher?

  3.3.2010 22:20 #5

• KillerBug

  He acts like the city is a farm or something.
  
  I would rather my city was known as a center of commerce and technology than, "A good place to grow potatoes". Don't get me wrong, I love potatoes...but you can grow them almost anywhere.
  
  If my city was not over the population limit, I would push to get the name permanently changed to Google in the hopes of that free internet.

  3.3.2010 22:50 #6

• Josipher

  Originally posted by themind: Ignorance is bliss. Isn't that right Josipher?lol if by that you refer to the fact that i dont think google is trying to take over the world then yes :)
  btw here the highest net speed we hav is 30MB so like my predecessors i would definitely change my name to google if they offered to give me 1000MB net speed :)

  4.3.2010 02:12 #7

• Anon (unverified)

  Originally posted by slickwill: This will pretty much destroy all the privacy that we have on the net, and violate our constitutional rights. Learn to VPN.

  28.3.2010 21:47 #8