Update 11:51 a.m.: Thursday kicked off a Google Fiber six-week rally during which residents of Kansas City, Kan. and central Kansas City, Mo., can demonstrate their desire to bring the service to their neighborhoods, or "fiberhoods," as Google has named them.
The kick-off was announced Thursday at a press event at Google Fiber's Kansas City office space at State Line and Westport Rd.
Product managers announced that not only will residents of these areas have the opportunity to access the fiberoptic connection options, but schools, libraries, community centers, government buildings and public safety buildings will also get the Gigabit Internet package for free.
By pre-registering on the website for a $10 fee, residents can demonstrate their personal interest and then help rally their neighbors to pre-register. Each "fiberhood" has a minimum number of people who need to pre-register in order to bring Google Fiber there.
The rally ends Sept. 9. Areas that meet the minimum requirements will then finalize their package decisions and schedule installation times. Specific community information will be available on the Google Fiber site.
Nothing was announced yet regarding Google Fiber's opportunities for businesses, but product managers said to expect those to come "soon."
[asset-images[{"caption": "A Google Fiber employee explains how Fiber TV works and its benefits to guests in the Google "Fiberspace."", "fid": "8124", "image_style": "card_280", "uri": "public://201207/Explanation.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Eric Baker/KCUR"}]]Update 11:45 a.m.: Three connectivity packages will be offered to residential users: A $120-a-month package that includes the Gigabit connection and Google Fiber TV, a $70-a-month package with just the Gigabit internet and a package that will install a broadband connection free of charge (aside from a $25-a-month (or $300 upfront) construction fee). Those who sign a contract for either the Gigabit + TV package or the Gigabit Internet package early will have the construction fees waived.
Update 11:33 a.m.: Product manager Larry Yang announced the launch of Google Fiber's television service, which will feature hundreds of ("all your favorite") channels in HD, a searchable interface and the capacity to record up to 500 hours of HD programs.
Leak Update 10:02 a.m.: Details of the Google Fiber announcement leaked on Reddit Wednesday night on the Kansas City subreddit.
This screenshot posted by redditor gentletakemyskull of a live page that was quickly removed from Google Fiber's site indicates that Kansas City residents will be able to pre-register for the high-speed service. Find more information about the leak here at The Upsider and throughout this reddit thread, though the initial post has been deleted.
9:31 a.m.: Today at 11 a.m., Google Fiber makes a big announcement about its impending ultra-fast high-speed network, which is scheduled to drop today in Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. You can view the live feed of the press event here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Google?v=6uZVqPuq81c
Check back here for updates as the news evolves.
Below, a collection of news, tweets, rumors and hopeful expectations about the Google Fiber Project.
