diff --git src/wp-admin/includes/class-wp-community-events.php src/wp-admin/includes/class-wp-community-events.php
index d3c6f08699..3fbc733f41 100644
--- src/wp-admin/includes/class-wp-community-events.php
+++ src/wp-admin/includes/class-wp-community-events.php
@@ -67,6 +67,16 @@ class WP_Community_Events {
 	 * data. The API will send back a recognized location based on the data, along
 	 * with nearby events.
 	 *
+	 * The reason that the browser's request for events is proxied through this
+	 * method, instead of having the browser make it directly to api.wordpress.org,
+	 * is so that the results can be cached server-side, and shared with other
+	 * users and sites in the network. Increasing the number of visits that get
+	 * cached data means users have to wait less often. If the user's browser
+	 * made the request directly, then it would also need to make a subsequent
+	 * request to WP in order to pass the data for caching. Having WP make the
+	 * request also introduces the opportunity to anonymize the IP before sending
+	 * it to w.org, which mitigates privacy concerns that some users have.
+	 *
 	 * @since 4.8.0
 	 *
 	 * @param string $location_search Optional city name to help determine the location.
diff --git src/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php src/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php
index d4be87dfaa..23a5eee4d7 100644
--- src/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php
+++ src/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ function upgrade_all() {
 	if ( $wp_current_db_version < 37965 )
 		upgrade_460();
 
-	if ( $wp_current_db_version < 40500 ) { //todo update to commit for #40702
+	if ( $wp_current_db_version < 40607 ) {
 		upgrade_480();
 	}
 
@@ -1747,7 +1747,7 @@ function upgrade_460() {
 function upgrade_480() {
 	global $wp_current_db_version;
 
-	if ( $wp_current_db_version < 40500 ) { // todo update to commit for #40702
+	if ( $wp_current_db_version < 40607 ) {
 		// This feature plugin was merged for #40702, so the plugin itself is no longer needed
 		deactivate_plugins( array( 'nearby-wp-events/nearby-wordpress-events.php' ), true );