Netflix has released figures for January ranking Internet Service Providers delivering the best viewing experience for viewing Netflix’s catalog of online video titles.

At the top is Google Fiber, which comes as little surprise considering Google provides 1,000/1,000Mbps service to its limited number of customers in Kansas City.

Suddenlink saw the greatest improvement. The mostly-rural and small city cable provider jumped five points in January’s ratings, scoring 3rd. Cablevision’s Optimum broadband service jumped ahead of three rivals to score second place.

Time Warner Cable and Cox remained in the middle, while AT&T U-verse demonstrated that the benefits of a fiber network end when the remaining copper wire to the customer’s home comes into play. U-verse performed only marginally better than the DSL services of independent phone companies like Windstream and CenturyLink. Frontier managed some minor improvement, now scoring 14th place out of 17.

The worst performers: DSL services from both Verizon and AT&T and Clearwire’s 4G WiMAX network, which scored dead last.

Google Voice and its long distance calling service will be free for another year according to the company’s blog.

Google said it would extend its free North American long distance service through the end of 2013, and added it maintains very aggressive international calling rates.

Google’s phone service provides a free local phone number, free domestic calling, and offers free texting via an online application. Sprint customers can fully integrate the service with their smartphones while other carriers support the service less elegantly with an add-on app.

The service competes primarily with Microsoft’s Skype.

Faster speeds.

Time Warner Cable is planning additional free speed increases for its customers, starting in Google Fiber territory — Kansas City.

The company has already boosted Standard Internet speeds, now at least 15/1Mbps in most areas of the country, up from 10/1Mbps.

With Google’s 1,000/1,000Mbps network now gradually rolling out across Kansas City, the cable operator decided it needed to compete, albeit not on the same scale. Here are the new speeds across Kansas City, which are likely to also begin turning up in other areas of the country eventually:

• Lite Internet — from 1Mbps to 5Mbps
• Basic Internet — 3Mbps to 10Mbps
• Standard Internet — 10Mbps to 15Mbps
• Turbo Pass Internet — 15Mbps to 20Mbps (No word on upgrades for customers already getting 20Mbps Turbo service)
• Extreme Internet — 30Mbps to 50Mbps
• Ultimate Internet — 50Mbps to 100Mbps
• Upload speeds remain unchanged, maxing out at 5Mbps for premium tiers.

Despite the upgrades, Time Warner denied there was much need for the kinds of speed Google customers are now getting.

“We’re really comfortable where our speeds are,” Time Warner Cable spokesman Mike Pedelty told the Kansas City Business Journal.

Time Warner’s Wi-Fi hotspots in Kansas City (click to enlarge)

Sorry Kansas City — Time Warner Cable is not bringing faster broadband to compete with Google Fiber. Instead, the company today unveiled a new network of local Wi-Fi hotspots, along with an invitation to area businesses to help expand Wi-Fi access.

The new Wi-Fi initiative begins with 14 hot spots in downtown Kansas City, the Crossroads Arts District, the River Market, Brookside, Waldo, Westport, the 18th and Vine District, Loose Park, plus the downtowns of Parkville, Leavenworth and other sites.

Time Warner Cable Inc. launched 14 Wi-Fi hot spots in Downtown, the Crossroads Arts District, the River Market, Brookside, Waldo, Westport, the 18th and Vine District, Loose Park, plus the downtowns of Parkville, Leavenworth and other sites, reports the Kansas City Business Journal.

Time Warner said any of its commercial customers with Business Class broadband can share their connection by hosting a Wi-Fi hot spot themselves, with the cable company supplying the necessary equipment.

Company spokesman Mike Pedelty said the service will complement businesses’ existing Wi-Fi offerings, particularly in restaurants and other high traffic public venues.

But not everyone will have access. Time Warner Cable is restricting the Wi-Fi network to its own customers with Standard broadband service or above. Customers can access the new network with their Time Warner-supplied e-mail address and password.

Additionally, Time Warner has added Kansas City to the roster of communities where it sells disadvantaged families access to a discounted broadband package called Starter Internet. The package will match Google’s entry level 5Mbps service plan (with 1Mbps upload speed) and will run $10 a month. Google offers anyone in its service area 5Mbps service for a one-time fee of $200, payable in $20 installments.

For the time being, Time Warner Cable is leaving broadband speeds unchanged for its customers in Kansas City, although that may change in the future as Google’s fiber network continues to expand across the city.

Time Warner Cable is expected to announce “three major initiatives” at a press event scheduled in Kansas City tomorrow morning, presumably in response to competition from Google Fiber.

Time Warner Cable representatives, Kansas City, Mo. Mayor Sly James, Kansas City, Kan. Mayor Joe Reardon, Kansas City, Kan. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cynthia Lane and representatives from other participating school districts will speak at the event, which will officially unveil Time Warner Cable’s new low-cost Internet offering and significant additions for residential and Business Class customers.

Based on the attendance list and the nature of the Kansas City market, Stop the Cap! predicts the company will introduce discounted broadband service for low income families with school-age children and significant speed improvements for both residential and business customers, the latter likely limited to Kansas City for the time being.

Time Warner Cable currently charges $99 for 50/5Mbps service. Google charges $70 for 1,000/1,000Mbps service.