Part of the reason Google brought their new Google Fiber service to Kansas City was because of the deal that the city offered them. Basically the city waved any fee that other telecoms would have to pay, be it fees for hanging wire on city-owned poles or fees for digging and laying cable in public right-of-way.

Furthermore, the city offered Google all city "assets and infrastructure -- including fiber, buildings, land, and computer tools" to use for free, in addition to a "dedicated" team of government employees. Now, Time Warner Cable and AT&T are after similar agreements with the city, claiming they want "an even playing field."

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Time Warner Cable has written a "parity" deal with one of the Kansas Cities, but needs to do it with the other. Thankfully, the cities are asking AT&T and Time Warner to improve their service before being granted these parity deals. Seems like a fair trade.