Kansas City Will Be First To Get GoogleFiber Television

Google Inc. plans to launch GoogleFiber television in the Kansas City area as part of its ultra-fast broadband project, officials announced Thursday, using the rallying cry, "Let's do this for Kansas City."
The service — which is headed for areas of Kansas City, Kan., and central Kansas City, Mo. — will allow users to record as much as 500 hours of shows in high-definition, plus as many as eight shows simultaneously. It will have a Bluetooth remote control and an app with hundreds of channels, plus thousands of shows on demand.
GoogleFiber TV also will be able to interact with social networks, and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is working with local organizations to publish new content, officials said.
Google is using a social rallying technique to determine which "fiberhoods" will receive TV and Internet service first. Residents can urge others in their fiberhoods — which will include roughly 800 neighbors — to go to google.com/fiber and pre-register (for a $10 fee) to meet the minimum goal, which depending on individual areas could be 40 to 80 neighbors. The website will display the status of each area.
The rally ends Sept. 9 and is open to Kansas City, Kan., and central Kansas City, Mo. Afterward, users can finalize their choice of package.
As fiberhoods get Google's service, their schools, libraries, community centers, public safety buildings and government buildings will get free gigabit Internet connectivity. The first rally will link up more than 200 of them, a Google official said.
Google announced three packages for residential users but hinted that packages for businesses would be coming soon.
Many initial customers who sign contracts won't have to pay a $300 construction fee to get fiber to their homes.
The three current options include:

• Gigabit Internet and TV will be available for $120 a month. The package also includes a super hard drive, a terabyte of cloud storage on Google Drive, all major broadcast channels, hundreds of fiber channels and thousands of on-demand videos. The Nexus 7 tablet is included as a remote control. Premium movie channels will be available for a monthly fee.
• Gigabit Internet will be available for $70 a month. It will include a network box and 1 terabyte of cloud storage on Google Drive.
• Regular Internet will be available for free after a one-time $300 construction fee. Those who aren't ready to commit to Google's new service can sign up to have their homes fitted for the service when construction is going on in their neighborhoods. Doing so will get them free Internet access for seven years at today's average speeds, and they'll be prepared to upgrade at any time. The construction fee can be paid upfront or at a rate of $25 a month for the first year.