[Durham INC] High speed internet news

[Pat Carstensen]

two stories I spotted today on cities getting higher-speed internet

1. AT&T ramps North Carolina FTTP workforce to battle Google Fiber's impending entryBy Sean Buckley Comment | Forward | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedInJust days after Google Fiber (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced it would bring its fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) service to a number of major North Carolina towns and cities, including Charlotte and the Triangle area, AT&T (NYSE: T) is ramping up its workforce to support its own fiber network push in the state.After launching its 1 Gbps FTTP GigaPower service in December in Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Winston-Salem, the service provider said it is committing capital dollars to hire nearly 100 new technician positions to support the service rollout. The service provider also is planning to bring the 1 Gbps service to Durham, Charlotte and Greensboro.Besides the technician positions, the service provider is looking to fill nearly 200 business sales and call center positions in North Carolina. In 2014, AT&T filled 900 jobs in the state.According to a report in the Charlotte Business Journal, nearly 20 of the new employees AT&T will hire will be based the Charlotte region, one of the next areas where it will deliver the FTTP service. However, the telco has not revealed when it will officially launch service in Charlotte.  Last year, AT&T struck an agreement with North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN), a regional initiative focused on stimulating the deployment of next-generation networks to North Carolina, to deliver its U-verse GigaPower offering to six communities, including Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Winston-Salem.AT&T executives have said North Carolina's GigaPower customer base has exceeded expectations, but have not yet revealed how many customers are using the service.

North Carolina is part of a broader buildout plan AT&T has hatched to bring FTTP services up to 100 cities, including 21 new major metropolitan areas.For more:
- see the release
- Charlotte Business Journal has this articleSpecial report: Gigabit Wars: The best prices for 1 Gbps service from ILECs, MSOs and municipal providersRelated articles:
AT&T's U-verse gains help to ease legacy losses in Q3
AT&T to bring 1 Gbps FTTH service to North CarolinaRead more about: North Carolina, FTTH
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2. CenturyLink outlines first Denver neighborhoods to get 1 Gbps serviceBy Sean Buckley Comment | Forward | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedInCenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) has named the first Denver neighborhoods that will be getting its 1 Gbps fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) service, reports the Denver Business Journal.The service provider said it is offering the 1 Gbps service in 16 of the city's core neighborhoods and will be connecting more of its customers to the service, including: Baker, Bonnie Brae, Belcaro, Cole, Congress Park, Corey Merrill, Overland, Park Hill, Platt Park, Rosedale, Stapleton, Washington Park East, Washington Park West, University, University Park and Villa Park."Our teams are out there working very hard to install it to as many premises as possible," said Penny Larson, CenturyLink's lead executive for Colorado, according to the Denver Business Journal.Following initial launches in Omaha and Las Vegas, CenturyLink proposed 16 new cities in August, including Denver, for its business and residential fiber 1 Gbps broadband service.CenturyLink is being tight-lipped about how many customers have purchased the service or how many are eligible to get the service. Other than saying that the 1 Gbps service is being delivered in parts of Stapleton, the service provider told the Denver Business Journal it would not reveal how widespread gigabit speeds are available.In terms of pricing, CenturyLink's website shows that standalone 1 Gbps service would be $151.95 a month, but requires a two-year contract, or $124 a month if purchased as part of a bundle that includes wireline voice service.Ultimately, CenturyLink will offer the 1 Gbps service for $89 a month as part of a phone or Prism IPTV bundle. CenturyLink plans to offer its IPTV service in the areas where it provides 1 Gbps service after it finalizes a video franchise agreement with Denver officials.What makes the Denver market attractive from a buildout cost perspective, particularly in existing or Brownfield areas where it offers traditional DSL service, is that CenturyLink is able to string the fiber cable along its existing aerial telephone pole versus having to dig up streets and run conduit underground. In addition, CenturyLink is equipping a new Greenfield residential development in major cities along Colorado's Front Range with the 1 Gbps service.CenturyLink's move into Denver comes at a time when there's been a flurry of activity around 1 Gbps FTTP service. Google Fiber announced on Tuesday that it would be bringing its FTTP service to a number of new metro areas, including Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. It is also still considering bringing service to other cities, including Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Phoenix and San Jose. 		 	   		  
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