Chattanooga, TN, has a gigabit fiber network that is basically the nation’s poster child for successful public broadband investment. Former FCC chair Tom Wheeler literally held it up as the example of how super-speedy, reliable broadband could transform a community, and should be expanded. So residents are understandably perplexed that Comcast is purporting to have “introduced” gigabit service to the area recently. [More]
gigabit internet
Thanks To Google Fiber And AT&T, Comcast Gigabit Service Will Only Cost $70 In Atlanta
By 3.15.16
Earlier this year, Comcast announced that Atlanta would be one of the five markets to get a taste of new broadband technology that provides fiberoptic-level data speeds over existing cable lines. And while the cable company has previously charged exceedingly high amounts for high-speed fiber access, Comcast says it will only be charging $70/month in Atlanta for this new service. [More]
Small Massachusetts Town Offers Gigabit Internet For $75/Month
By 12.15.15
As Comcast rolls out its superfast 2 gigabit fiber service for $300/month — not to mention upwards of $1,000 in startup costs — yet another municipally owned broadband service is offering similar service for less money. [More]
North Carolina City Is First To Offer Internet Service That’s 10 Times Faster Than Google Fiber
By 9.3.15
While Google is in the process of deploying high-speed gigabit Internet service in North Carolina’s major metro areas of Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, the folks in the much smaller city of Salisbury, NC, are being offered access to broadband that’s several times faster. [More]
Comcast Hopes To Deploy Multi-Gigabit Broadband By 2018
By 8.24.15
Earlier this summer, Comcast revealed that it will soon be testing an upgrade to its cable broadband network that should allow it to deliver download speeds of up to 10Gbps, ten times the current top speed of Google Fiber. Now the company is giving some idea of how long it thinks it will need to make this super-fast Internet access available on a wider basis. [More]
Experimental Verizon FiOS Service Would Be 10X Speed Of Google Fiber
By 8.13.15
With Google Fiber continuing to expand, offering gigabit broadband service for a reasonable price, some Internet service providers are feeling the heat and beginning to test networks that would blow the pants of Google. [More]
Comcast To Begin Testing Super-Fast Cable Broadband This Year
By 7.24.15
Most talk of new high-speed broadband has revolved around Internet service providers laying new networks of fiberoptic cable to deliver download speeds of 1Gbps or more, but Comcast says it plans to start testing a system that could provide upwards of 10Gbps over coaxial cable lines. [More]
AT&T Claims 11.7M People Could Get Gigabit Fiber If DirecTV Merger Approved
By 7.6.15
AT&T and DirecTV are still hoping their mega-merger is on track for approval. While they wait, the FCC has been asking them to clarify some of their earlier statements about why this deal is a good idea for the public. And buried in those new answers is the nugget that post-merger, AT&T plans to bring fiber networks to almost 12 million customers… kind of. [More]
AT&T Claims That DirecTV Merger Will Allow It To Expand GigaPower Fiber Network
By 4.23.15
While we’ve been critical of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger, the motivation behind that deal is clear: It would instantly add 10 million customers to Comcast’s bottom line and give the company control over cable/broadband access for the two largest markets in the country. The reasoning behind the less-scrutinized marriage of AT&T and DirecTV isn’t as cut-and-dry. [More]
Comcast Bringing Super-Fast Fiber Network To Silicon Valley & Other California Markets
By 4.17.15
Two weeks after Comcast announced that Atlanta would be the first market to get its new Gigabit Pro fiber service — which promises speeds of up to twice that of Google Fiber — the company is now saying it will bring the high-speed broadband to several markets in California where it already offers service. [More]
AT&T Charges $40/Month More For Fiber Internet If Google Isn’t In Your Town Yet
By 3.30.15
Only weeks ago, AT&T announced gigabit fiber broadband service in Kansas City for $70/month. Granted, customers have to give up their right to privacy to get that rate, but at least it’s the same price being charged by Google Fiber, which also happens to operate in KC. But when it comes to AT&T’s impending gigabit offering in Cupertino — the land of Apple — that $70/month rate is nowhere to be found; probably because Google Fiber is not around. [More]
Comcast Trademarks “True Gig” Name For High-Speed Service It May Someday Launch
By 10.28.14
It’s not surprising that a company that thought “Xfinity” sounded like a good name for a broadband Internet service and not a strip club with a cheeseball neon sign has come up with an eye-roll-worthy name for the ultra-high speed broadband tier it has yet to reveal. [More]
Two Big Reasons CNN Money Is Only Half Right About Gigabit Broadband Expansion
By 8.22.14
Broadband internet coverage in the United States is still pretty uneven. While some, mainly rural, communities are scrambling to connect to the 21st century using slow, old, and unreliable tech, some urban areas are dashing forward at over 1000 Mbps. The list of lucky cities with gigabit connections is growing, as CNN Money reports, but it’s not growing in the way that CNN indicates. [More]
AT&T To Offer Gigabit Broadband Service In Apple’s Home Turf
By 8.20.14
While Verizon’s FiOS expansion plans are apparently idling in the “to do… maybe, at some point” bin, AT&T appears to be moving forward with its plans to roll out its GigaPower gigabit broadband network to more markets. Today, the Death Star announced that it has selected its first target in California’s Silicon Valley — the city of Cupertino, better known as the home to Apple HQ. [More]
Spooked By Specter Of Competition, AT&T Considering Gigabit Fiber Expansion In 25 Cities
By 4.21.14
In a move that could theoretically bring something like the actual first glimmering hint of real broadband competition to a couple million more consumers nationwide, AT&T today announced major plans for expansion to their “GigaPower” Uverse service. The expansion could potentially bring the gigabit fiber broadband network to as many as 25 major metropolitan areas. [More]
Thought Of Comcast Merger Scares AT&T Into Expanding Gigabit Fiber Service
By 3.7.14
Dallas is AT&T’s home turf. It’s cable market is also dominated by Time Warner Cable. But the thought of that cable/Internet business being swallowed up by Comcast if its merger with TWC goes through was apparently enough to get AT&T to decide to roll out gigabit fiber service to the Texas town. [More]
Real Competition From Google Or Window-Dressing For FCC? Time Warner Cable Improves Speeds In Austin
By 2.20.14
Here are two facts: Google Fiber is coming to Austin, and Time Warner Cable is being bought by Comcast. The question is: Which one of these two facts is the cause for TWC’s significantly ramped-up service in the Texas capital? [More]
AT&T Offers $70 (Sort-Of) Gigabit Internet… If You Let It Snoop On Your Browsing History
By 12.11.13
AT&T has finally kicked off its gigabit Internet service in some parts of Austin, and is offering people high-speed fiber access “for as low as $70 a month.**” See those two stars? They’re kind of important, as the only way you’re getting that $70 price is if you sign up for a program that gives AT&T access to your web browsing habits so it can serve you up even more ads. [More]
