Last month, we noted how entrenched broadband providers had found a new way to try and prevent Google Fiber from bringing much-needed competition into their markets: blocking access to carrier-owned utility poles. AT&T recently sued the city of Louisville for embracing so-called "one touch make ready" policies that dramatically streamline the pole-attachment process. The rule rewrites allow third-party contractors to move (often just a few inches) multiple companies' gear, dramatically reducing the cost and time frame for new deployment (in Louisville by an estimated five months or so):
$55 gigabit available in San Antonio while people in other cities pay $70.
Google Fiber filing permit to begin construction in Louisville.
As Google Fiber is sorting out its next moves, ground zero in the gigabit wars has emerged in Louisville, Kentucky, where AT&T Fiber has talked big but signed up very few gigabit customers.
