There has been an online buzz for the past few days that Austin would be Google Fiber’s next stop, and today those reports became official. A press conference was held today at Austin’s Brazos Hall where Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Google’s VP of Access Service, Milo Medlin, made the announcement.

Google Fiber offers ‘gigabit’ internet service, which is reported to be about 100 times faster than a basic cable modem. Many compare this upgrade to the difference between dial-up and broadband. The long term implications of this faster service are merely conjecture at this point, but many are excited about the possibilities. Leffingwell hinted at one of the uses saying, “Austin is already the live musical capital of the world. How about making Austin the live music capital of the Web?” It’s an interesting thought; streaming nightly HD performances from the Continental Club and Threadgill’s throughout the world. Medlin said, “The move is all about making Austin a more awesome place to live…high-speed internet access will make communities stronger.” Governor Rick Perry also showed up to endorse the project, and enthusiastically said, “Way to go, Austin, you are changing the world!” The most important endorsement today will make those who bleed orange elated. The University of Texas has jumped on the ‘Fiber Love Train’, and has allowed Fiber TV to carry the Longhorn network.

Once the excitement dies down, the reality of the waiting will soon set in. Austin is a huge city, and the building of the new infrastructure will take time. Google hopes to provide service to its first customers by mid-2014. The plan is to provide service to one neighborhood at a time, referred to by Google as ‘Fiberhoods’. In Kansas City (Google Fiber’s beta city) communities and neighborhoods have rallied with pledges of support, and often upfront payments, to convince Google that they should become the next ‘Fiberhood’. I would expect similar silliness to occur in Austin over the next year or so. Most likely downtown residents will get first dibs, shortly followed by predominant neighborhoods such as SoCo and Hyde Park.

The pricing hasn’t yet been determined for the Austin market, but is expected to be similar to Kansas City rates. The low cost option is called “Free” Internet. For a one-time $300 fee or 12 monthly payments of $25 you can get average speed internet (5Mbps download, and 1 Mbps upload). The initial cost covers construction expenses, and guarantees you free service for at least 7 years. The next option is Gigabit Internet for $70/mo, and a 1 year contract. This will get you the much anticipated 1 gigabit upload and download speeds, no data caps, as well as 1 TB of Google Drive storage. Finally, there is the Gigabit + TV option for $120/mo and a 2 year contract. The Google experience includes the 1 gigabit upload and download speeds, no data caps, TV box with HD full channel lineup as well as on-demand options, a storage box with 2TB for DVR storage, 1TB of cloud storage, and my favorite part, a free Nexus 7 tablet for your remote.

This is exciting news for the city, but exactly what does this mean for Austin? Well, most importantly it means jobs. This news solidifies us as a smart investment for tech giants and creative start-ups. Kansas City got an economic boost from the new service, and in an already technology friendly city like Austin it will surely strengthen our economic growth. It is also assures homegrown entrepreneurs that Austin is a safe city to take a risk. That despite the dreariness of uncertain economic times, Austin will continue to grow and thrive. Most importantly for some, it means even if you don’t need or care about Gigabit internet Time Warner will be soon lowering your bill to keep you as a customer.

Regardless of the reason, residents are excited about the news. Being the second city in the country able to use and take advantage of this new service will benefit most Austinites.

Google has launched an information page for interested citizens: https://fiber.google.com/cities/austin/