SubscribeAustin’s television news has gone all out for Google Fiber, which is being unveiled today at a press event. Stop the Cap! will have coverage of the announcement, but in the meantime, here is a roundup of local coverage about Google Fiber in Austin:
[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KTBC Austin Google Fiber Headed to Austin 4-8-13.mp4[/flv]
Austin’s local Fox affiliate KTBC reports city officials stayed tight-lipped about Google Fiber, but Google may have previewed its intentions by adding The Longhorn Network to its television lineup several months ago. Local technology experts say the upgrade is worth the wait and will be a boon to Austin’s economy. (2 minutes)
[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KXAN Austin The wait is on for Google Fiber 4-9-13.mp4[/flv]
Now that Austin will get Google Fiber, how long will residents have to wait to sign up? Mid-2014 is the estimate. KXAN explored how Google was unveiled in Kansas City. The station also took a look at other cities with gigabit fiber networks, many of them publicly owned alternatives to big phone and cable companies. KXAN compares the cost for 1,000Mbps service in different cities around the country. (3 minutes)
[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KEYE Austin Google Announcement Draws Near 4-9-13.flv[/flv]
KEYE notes Gov. Rick Perry is showing up for this morning’s unveiling of Google Fiber. In between some minor technical glitches in the report, some viewers say they are ready to sign up for $70 gigabit Internet now, just to stick it to Clearwire ($50 a month) and Time Warner Cable. (2 minutes)
[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KVUE Austin Google Going to Austin 4-9-13.mp4[/flv]
KVUE says Google Fiber could boost Austin’s economy by luring even more high-tech companies. It could also stop Time Warner Cable and AT&T from trying more Internet Overcharging schemes on area customers. (2 minutes)
AT&T just made a press release about setting up a gigabit network of their own, provided that they get the same incentives as Google in Austin. Not that they’d actually carry through with this even if they got those concessions…
Strikes me to be as much about playing interference than anything else. Austin will have to tread carefully so as to avoid lawsuits from AT&T on one side and being shafted by AT&T on the other.
Ooh — I live about 3 miles from Google’s offices in North Austin, and they are next door to one of UT’s major research campuses. Sadly, I might be just outside the same “fiberhood”, since I live in a more suburban residential area nearby, but one can hope for an early installation before the end of next year…. perhaps?
In Kansas City they are doing the inner ring suburban neighborhoods that share a KCMO or KCK mailing address, so I’ll bet you’d be covered.
We are, of course, screwed here in Rochester. No Google Fiber in our horizon.
Well, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. At the very least, the announcement has finally put the kibosh on any plans Time Warner had of introducing bandwidth caps in the Austin area. The only thing left for me to decide is whether it’s still work forking out for a cable modem to avoid their equipment fees, if GF is coming within, 18 to 24 months from now.
tacitus, if you are served by Austin Energy, you may yet be in luck. google will be using AE poles, so don’t rule them out just yet.