Lawrence Kansas To Sell 25,707 Feet Of Empty Fiber Conduit To Google Fiber, Inc. At $10/Linear Foot
December 1, 2025 – The city of Lawrence, Kansas is considering entering into an agreement to sell Google Fiber, Inc. 25,707 feet of empty fiber conduit that is owned by the city. Lawrence is considering charging $10 per linear foot, which equates to a purchase price of $257,070. In the purchase agreement, the 25,707 feet of empty fiber “conduit” that is being sold to Google is defined as any combination of ducts, conduits, access points, manholes/handholes, vaults, and other facilities.
At its December 2, 2025 meeting, the Lawrence City Commission will consider authorizing the City Manager to execute a Conduit Purchase Agreement with Google Fiber Inc. to purchase the available empty City fiber conduit. The agenda item report for the meeting contains the following executive summary of the transaction:
“This agreement authorizes the City to sell surplus empty fiber conduit to Google Fiber Inc. for the use of Google Fiber’s citywide buildout. Over the years, the City has installed empty conduit through various projects and agreements along Bob Billings Parkway, Kasold Drive, 31st Street, 19th Street, and 9th Street. The City has existing active fiber in these corridors and does not anticipate needing this empty conduit for future expansion. Staff recommends selling the 25,707 feet of empty conduit at $10/linear foot, generating $257,070. The revenue generated could be reinvested into the City’s fiber infrastructure in areas where additional capacity or redundancy is needed to support critical City infrastructure such as traffic signals, traffic cameras, pump stations, fire/police stations, and other City facilities.”
Google Fiber Kansas, LCC, an operating subsidiary of the purchaser of the empty conduit, announced in August 2024 that it is bringing its broadband service to Lawrence, Kansas by the end of 2025. Google Fiber Kansas currently provides high-speed broadband throughout much of the Kansas City metro area. The announcement to deploy broadband service in Lawrence came after the Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance granting Google Fiber a franchise with the city. Under that franchise agreement, Google Fiber Kansas will pay a franchise fee of 2% of quarterly gross revenues from broadband service for the ability to construct its fiber network in the city’s public rights-of-way.
A map showing the locations of the empty conduit being sold to Google.
