Update: Sounds like this was an incentive-free deal.
According to Engadget, Google didn't get any special perks to bring Fiber to Austin. The engineering work needed to get this project going is expected to start cracking tomorrow.
Meanwhile, though AT&T stole a little thunder with its own Austin fiber announcement, Google Fiber General Manager Kevin Lo said it's "great" AT&T sees the demand for gigabit web.
We'll see if he's singing the same tune when they start competing for customers.
Original article...
Hear a collective "yippee" emanating from the Texas state capitol?
Our hearing is not that good either, but regardless Google announced today that its gigabit internet and TV service is headed to Austin, making it the latest "Google Fiber city."
Austin will join Kansas City as a home for Fiber, though not right way.
In a blog post, the Google Fiber team said the goal is to start hooking Austinite homes up by mid-2014.
Where dreams are made
Google produced a testimonial video (viewable below) on why this "mecca for creativity and entrepreneurialism," is the perfect place to bring Fiber.
"When I heard Google Fiber was coming to Austin, I thought, 'Well, of course,'" drawled Kirk Watson, Texas state senator for the 14th district.
Austin will see similar fees for internet and TV as what's charged in Kansas City, though exact details are still being hammered out.
Currently, Kansas City has a rate structure of a one-time $300 hook-up fee, $70 per month for internet alone, $120 per month for web plus TV, and standard 5MB/s at no charge for seven years. Google plans to connect a number of schools, hospitals, community centers and other public institutions at a gratis gigabit.
