Homes in this KC-area city get free Wi-Fi. Soon, renters will get the perk too

Paige Hueser, 62, has called North Kansas City’s French Quarters apartments home for the last six years. And each month in that time, she has paid her $100 Wi-Fi bill to keep internet access.

But soon, Hueser’s normal will change, and she’ll save a “significant” amount from ditching her current Wi-Fi plan. North Kansas City is working to provide free municipal WiFi to all apartment residents within its borders.

“I think it would be tremendous,” Hueser said. “It would go a long way to helping families with the kids and putting food on the table and all of that fun stuff we have to deal with.”

The city will bring free Wi-Fi to apartments by beaming it into units and will not require property owners to opt-in for tenants to be able to participate. Antennas mounted on poles will sit on city property outside the apartment buildings, and residents will have the log in credentials.

The plan is part of a mission of the city and KC Fiber to bring free internet access to residents. According to KC Fiber and Nocix managing partner Aaron Wendel, about 99% of homes in North Kansas City take advantage of the free fiber, which has been around for a little over a decade.

But the luxury of free internet access has not been extended to many apartment complexes — until now.

Why apartments were left behind

KC Fiber, an affiliate of Nocix, provides one gigabit internet to houses. Homeowners pay a $300 installation fee, and then they never need to pay an internet bill again. The city owns the fiber in the ground, but the internet is entirely subsidized by the Nocix data center in North Kansas City, Wendel explained.

For KC Fiber, getting into homes was easy, but getting into apartments is harder. Many apartment developers have deals with internet providers for kickbacks or revenue sharing, Wendel explained. Developers would lose out on this income if they offered free internet, so most choose not to offer KC Fiber.

This issue has puzzled city officials for years, Mayor Jesse Smith said. And it is not an easy one to solve.

Developers cannot be forced to offer a specific provider. Smith said the city looked into requiring developers to use KC Fiber for internet — or at least requiring them to offer KC Fiber as an option — but that is illegal under the Federal Communications Commission guidelines.

There may be opportunities to give future developers economic incentives for using KC Fiber, Smith said, but that would not solve the issue of getting free internet into existing apartments.

Journey to a solution

Public comments at a recent City Council meeting reignited talks to find a solution, Smith said. At the May 6 meeting, Wendel gave a presentation on KC Fiber’s operations, and resident Jim Dunn followed with a comment on the “outrageous” disparity in internet access between homes and apartments.

“Any time we create a community in which we’re saying, ‘It’s them and us’ — any kind of ‘them and us’ — that’s damaging,” Dunn said.

Wendel, Smith and other leaders sat down to brainstorm a solution. It was deputy city administrator Kim Nakahodo who thought of installing WiFi near apartments, just like the city recently did in Macken Park. Legal consultants found no issues with the idea, Smith said.

The first batch of municipal WiFi will be installed at the Spanish Eight Apartments, according to Smith.

The plan still has many logistical questions to be answered, Smith said. Wendel hopes the Spanish Eight Apartments’ WiFi will be up and running within the next 60 to 90 days.

After the kinks are ironed out in the trial run, Smith said he will be excited to offer a “key” service to all other apartment complexes in the city.

“In the age we live in, internet is a need,” Smith said. “It’s not a ‘nice to have.’ To live your life and to be part of society almost, you have to have access to reliable, high-speed internet.”