Jonathan Clark installs fi ber-optic service for EPB. Staff File Photo by Allison Carter.When Google announced last year it would help a local community begin offering gigabit-per-second Internet connections, more than 1,100 communities asked for help to gain the super-fast Web link.
Google expects to pick its winning city sometime this year. But Chattanooga, using its municipal utility and the help of a generous $111 million grant from Uncle Sam, sped past the cities vying for Google’s attention to become the first to offer gigabit-per-second Internet speed.
The new Internet link by EPB offers Web connections that are more than 200 times faster than the average Internet link.
“We’re setting a standard that most of the world won’t catch up to for probably another 10 years,” Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield said in announcing the new service last September.
The $350-a-month initial price for the gigabit service may be too pricey for most consumers. But Chattanoogans have plenty of choices with its one-time monopoly telephone, cable and high-speed Internet businesses all invading each other’s telecom turf.