Comcast has already launched its ultra-fast gigabit broadband service in select parts of Nashville, Atlanta, and most recently Chicago. Comcast says it will also be launching the service in parts of Detroit and Miami before the end of the year as part of a "trial" deployment that will slowly but surely expand to all of the company's markets in time. Beyond that the company has generally remained quiet, but a spokesman appears to have accidentally informed the Jacksonville Business Journal that Jacksponville is on the list of gigabit cities slated for early next year.
"At the end of the day, this is exciting for people who want to get gig speed over a cable connection without fiber," Comcast spokesperson Cindy Arco tells the paper.
"This is for when the economics and instalation and timelines are not feasible, it’s a more seamless transition for people who want high-speed internet and want to go this way.”
Granted, the same report claims that DOCSIS 3.1, a fixed line coaxial technology, will "allow for internet service of 1 Gigabit per second wirelessly to businesses and homes," so keep several grains of salt on hand.
In Atlanta and Nashville, Comcast charges users $70 a month for the 1 Gbps down, 35 Mbps up tier with no caps -- but only if users sign a three year contract. Users who refuse a contract in those markets need to pay $140 per month, and be subject to Comcast usage caps. It's Comcast's not-so-subtle way of pushing customers toward long-term contracts ahead of expected Google Fiber launched in those two cities. Comcast says the same promotional rate is being used in Chicago, but the company appears to be actively hiding the option.
When pressed, Comcast gave Fierce Cable a bit of a non-answer when asked about the report of Jacksonville as an early gigabit launch market.
"As you know, earlier this year Comcast announced plans to introduce the world’s first DOCSIS 3.1-powered gigabit internet service to residential and business customers in a number of markets including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, and Miami," said the company. "Regarding plans for additional markets or timing, we have nothing to announce at this time."
Given the relatively low cost of DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades (especially in comparison to fiber), the company expects to offer gigabit cable connections to the lion's share of its customers by the end of next year.