Google Fiber Threat to Cable Is ‘Like Ebola,’ Analyst Says

Google’s foray into high-speed Internet and TV-service has signed up an “incredibly small” number of customers and isn’t a threat to cable and satellite investors, according to MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett. Google Fiber, which started in 2012, has 27,000 video subscribers combined in Kansas City (KS) and Kansas City (MO), and less than 3,000 in the other cities, according to US Copyright Office data collected by MoffettNathanson. The service originated in Kansas City and expanded to Provo (UT) and later Palo Alto (CA). “Google Fiber is a bit like Ebola: very scary and something to be taken seriously... but the numbers are very small, it gets more press attention than it deserves, and it ultimately doesn’t pose much of a risk (here in the US at least),” Moffett said. Kelly Mason, a spokeswoman for Google, declined to comment.