AT&T GigaPower network opens in parts of Research Triangle, Winston-Salem NC

Last week, AT&T announced the launch of its high-speed GigaPower network in Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Winston-Salem NC.

The high-speed deployment in these cities is part of an agreement with the North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN) initiative. The network includes six municipalities, four universities, and local business leaders working to accelerate deployment of high-speed broadband in North Carolina.

AT&T clarified its recent contradictory announcements regarding plans for additional GigaPower expansion. In April this year, AT&T announced plans to build all-fiber networks in up to 100 cities in 25 urban areas. Since then, AT&T has publicized plans to deploy its GigaPower network in parts of 12 of these markets: Atlanta; Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C.; Chicago; Cupertino, Calif.; Houston; Jacksonville, Fla.; Miami; Nashville, Tenn.; Overland Park, Kan.; St. Louis and San Antonio.

AT&T also made a commitment to expand its all-fiber deployment to an additional two million customers over and above the locations announced in April, upon approval of the merger with DIRECTV.

In last week's announcement, the company said, “President Obama's proposal in early November to regulate the entire Internet under rules from the 1930s designed for voice services injects significant uncertainty into the economics underlying AT&T's investment decisions.

“As a result, the company has paused consideration of any fiber investments that would go beyond its DIRECTV merger-related commitments...until the rules are clarified.”

So it appears that AT&T will put on hold its fiber build in many of the 25 urban areas identified in the April announcement, pending an FCC decision on net neutrality rules.

U-verse® with AT&T GigaPower(SM) Launches Today in parts of the Research Triangle and Winston-Salem (AT&T news release, Dec. 8, 2014)

AT&T Eyes 100 U.S. Cities and Municipalities for its Ultra-Fast Fiber Network (AT&T news release, Apr. 21, 2014)
 
AT&T launches fiber network, claims again that Obama will kill fiber (Ars Technica, Dec. 8, 2014)