AT&T announces it will match Google Fiber's price andspeed in Kansas City

In the meantime some local municipalities, for example Chattanooga, Tennessee, are alreadyoffering gigabit internet service to their citizens. The FCC is planning a vote on new regulations thatwould help towns and cities work around local laws aimed at preventing the creation of municipalbroadband, a move also supported by President Obama. "Laws in 19 states -- some specificallywritten by special interests trying to stifle new competitors -- have held back broadband access and,with it, economic opportunity," said the White House.

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http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/17/8050935/att-google-fiber-kansas-city-gigapower-internet-price-match

AT&T announces it will match Google Fiber's price and speed in Kansas City | The Verge

Time Warner has tripled speeds withoutraising prices

And it's not just the biggest companieswhich are being spurred to new heights byGoogle Fiber. In Kansas City, ConsolidatedCommunications, which has offerings in justfive states, is now offering gigabyte serviceto its customers, for a nickel less thanGoogle and AT&T. "Our customers'expectation for a faster internet connectionto enable activities like home-basedbusinesses, gaming, and video streamingcontinues to grow," said Michael Smith,chief marketing officer for ConsolidatedCommunications. "The number ofconnected devices in the home is alsogrowing exponentially; computers, phones, tablets, printers, game consoles, and even appliances areall competing for bandwidth."

AT&T has warned new net neutrality rules could hamper its rollout of high speed services

Kansas City isn't the only location wherehttp://online-jewelry-review.toptenreviews.com/amazon.com-review.html the Google and AT&T aregoing head to head. In cities across North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, California, and Tennessee, thetwo companies are already competing or have planned competing rollouts. "There's a fiber drought(in the US), and Google Fiber proved that point by coming to Kansas City," Hunter Newby, CEO ofAllied Fiber, told the Kansas City Business Journal. "This isn't rocket science. Google Fiber proved apoint: a gig for 70 bucks. What? Are you kidding me? I thought that was only available in HongKong."

Back in November, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson warned that if the FCC classified broadbandinternet as a Title II utility, it would lead to a slowdown or freeze in the expansion of its high speedfiber. Now that the agency has called his bluff, it remains to be seen if AT&T will continue a widerollout of these offerings.

At midnight this past Sunday, AT&T announced it would be bringing its Gigapower internet serviceto Kansas City, offering to match exactly the price and speed offered by Google Fiber. For $70 permonth, customers can get connectivity of 1 gigabit per second, and for $120 they get a basic TVpackage as well. The rollout highlights how increasing competition is benefitting consumers. Afterthe arrival of Google Fiber, the dominant player in Kansas City, Time Warner, has tripled its speedswithout raising prices.