Wait a Minute. Does Google Really Want to Be a Cable Guy?

Google, which is launching a broadband service in Kansas City, has been thinking about adding cable TV to its offering there, the Wall Street Journal reports. The search giant has been talking to the likes of Time Warner and Disney about deals to carry some of their TV channels along with high-speed Internet. But before you envision the rollout of a nationwide Google pay TV service, consider: Building out, and maintaining, a cable TV (and broadband) service is enormously time-consuming, expensive and messy. Think, for example, of all those angry/confused service inquiries your local cable guy has to deal with. And recall that last year, when Google tried to sell its own line of smartphones, it was hoping to get by without setting up a customer service operation that gave buyers the ability to talk to a real live human.

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