We’ve come a long way since Google first started taking about launching a fiber-based ISP — from beta tests , to hopeful communities , to Topeka fools day , to selecting not one , but two Kansas Cities. Now, it’s “boots on the ground,” time according to the Google Fiber blog: detail engineering starts now. In the coming weeks, Kansas City residents (presumably on both sides of the Kansas / Missouri border) can expect to see El Goog’s engineers measuring phone poles, gathering geographical data, and asking hard-hitting questions, like “What is your address?” All this footwork will help Google get a head start on building that sweet, ultra-high-speed gigabit network. Not the most glamorous bit of Google magic we’ve ever seen, but it’s still exciting to hear that preliminary work has begun. Of course, it would be even more exciting if this were coming where we lived. Google Fiber puts boots on the ground, begins detail engineering in Kansas Cities originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink