In the game of internet speeds, it seems like gigabits are the new megabits. We've heard reports across the country of ISP providers offering access to gigabit-level services that seem like an attempt to compete with Google and its Fiber project.
Comcast released reports on Friday that it will "bring its 2-gigabit symmetrical Gigabit Pro service to San Francisco Bay Area consumers in May, sidestepping Google and its own fiber plans. The company also said it will boost the speeds of some of its more premium tiers and add a new Extreme 250 tier," reports PC World.
Comcast said it plans to start rolling out the new data plans in May and that it hopes to expand the service over a one-year period. The new plans and upgrades will impact the Chico, Fresno, Marysville/Yuba City, Merced, Modesto, Monterey, Sacramento, Salinas, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara County, Stockton and Visalia metro areas, which account for nearly 3 million citizens. However, a spokesman noted that "the new services will require professional-grade installation, and you'll need to be "in close proximity" to its existing fiber network."
This is a particularly interesting move, considering recent reports about the Department of Justice putting a stop to the Comcast/Time-Warner merger. "Cynics will see this as a way to appease Silicon Valley techies who may be lobbying the Federal Communication Commission and the Department of Justice to enforce net neutrality and block Comcast's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable," reports PC World.
A Comcast spokesman said that the company planned to release more details about the prices for the new packages closer to the launch.
