KANSAS CITY, Kan. — New details have emerged showing how Google could be planning to step into the television market, as the internet search engine giant continues with plans to offer ultra-fast internet service.
According to a report in the Kansas City Star, Google Fiber’s name showed up on set-top boxes in paperwork the company sent to the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. The Star reports that the box was labeled “GFHD” – possibly short for Google Fiber High Definition.
The box looks to have multiple inputs and outputs for both WI-FI and ethernet networks, making it similar to AT&T’s U-Verse service, which delivers cable programming through the internet.
This comes after Google applied for an FCC license for an antenna farm – a batch of satellite dishes necessary to capture commercial television programming – in Iowa earlier this year. Google has also secured licenses to sell television services in both Kansas and Missouri.
Google Fiber – the ultra-fast internet service – was originally scheduled to roll out on January 1 of this year, but now Google reports that it will begin selling the service to unnamed neighborhoods in Kansas City, Kansas, starting later this summer.