Google's High Speed Internet Comes to KC

In a recent post about Google and the wireless industry, we wrote,

"A friend in the IT business told me that Google has a broadband experiment in Kansas City where they are offering customers the fastest broadband and online storage for a fraction of what the cable companies charge. Go for it, Larry and Sergey!"

In today's Wall Street Journal Online, the journal reports,

"This week, Google began installing fiber-optic cable to homes in Kansas City, Kan., as part of a high-speed Internet and video service that competes with incumbents such as Time Warner Cable Inc. and Dish.

Google hopes to expand the service around the country, according to people familiar with its plans.  /....

Many of Google's moves to directly oversee the way people access the Web are driven by a belief: that faster Internet download speeds at home and on mobile devices mean people can use more Google services such as Internet search, Gmail and YouTube video, translating into more revenue for the company."

Attempts to break cable's monopoly in both video content and high-speed Internet have been relatively minor incursions that are primarily rent sharing among the industry.  Let's hope that this seedling venture grows into something that gives the consumer a high quality product at a significantly lower price.