Amanda Bowling816.691.3478e-mail|vCard
03/31/2011
Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP played a lead role in helping the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas to become the first city selected by Google for its ultra-fast broadband network. On Wednesday, Google named Kansas City, Kan. the pilot city for its high-speed fiber network, an award more than 1,000 cities around the country were competing for.
Stinson Partner Todd LaSala represented the city in negotiating the development agreement with Google, which includes free high-speed internet service for the schools in the community. Stinson has represented Kansas City, Kan. in many significant projects, including the development of the Kansas Speedway and the Village West tourism district, as well as the recent development of Livestrong Sporting Park, a $165 million soccer stadium for the Sporting Kansas City franchise, which is set to open in June.
Mark Hinderks, Stinson's managing partner said, "We are extremely proud of our part in this groundbreaking venture. Todd helped navigate the Unified Government through a myriad of legal issues, at the intersection of municipal law, technology and telecommunications. This agreement is the first of its kind, and will likely set a national precedent and be the model used by other municipalities."
More than 1,100 cities throughout the country made bids to become a test site for Google's fiber network, which would provide internet connections of 1 gigabit per second. In picking Kansas City, Kansas, Google cited the city's leadership, stating the city "operated at Google speed in order to help craft this." Google says its internet speeds will be more than 100 times faster than the broadband connection in most U.S. homes. Google plans to offer service to the citizens of Kansas City, Kan. beginning in 2012.
"This is a historic day for Kansas City and for the internet. I anticipate we will look back on this as 'Plymouth Rock' in terms of the next generation of internet applications." LaSala said. "It has been a privilege for the Stinson team to represent the Unified Government in this leading-edge project. Having the fastest internet service in the country will be an incredible advantage for the businesses and residents of this great community."
Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP is one of the country’s largest law firms with more than 300 attorneys representing clients nationwide in a full range of corporate, transaction and litigation matters. The firm has experience in more than 45 industry-focused areas, with attorneys located in eight key markets, including Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis and Jefferson City, Mo., Overland Park and Wichita, Kan., Omaha, Neb., Phoenix, Ariz. and Washington, D.C.