If you’re jealous about Kansas City’s current gigabit internet speeds, you’ve got a friend in FCC Chairman Julius Genachoski. The chairman has just issued the “Gigabit City Challenge.” What does he hope to accomplish from this? At least one community in each of the 50 states to have gigabit internet by 2015. Genachoski says why in a statement:

“American economic history teaches a clear lesson about infrastructure. If we build it, innovation will come.

The U.S. needs a critical mass of gigabit communities nationwide so that innovators can develop next-generation applications and services that will drive economic growth and global competitiveness.”

Right now, the FCC says that there are 42 communities across 14 states that have access to high speed fiber internet. There is still, however, a lot of work to be done. Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco are some of the cities that should be getting in on the gigabit party in the near future. If the FCC wants to reach their goal of 50 states by 2015, it’s gonna take a lot more than just Google pushing gigabit internet. They’ll have to convince other providers, as well as the states themselves, that taking the plunge will be worth it.

[via The Verge, image via Knight Foundation]