cross pond high tech

U.S. broadband giant AT&T could roll out 1Gbps fiber-optic service to up to 21 new metropolitan areas, including Atlanta,   Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, California, the company said Monday.

The company's rollout of its U-verse broadband with GigaPower service will also include television service. AT&T had previously   announced plans to build ultra-fast broadband in Austin and Dallas in Texas and in Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem, North   Carolina.

The company will work with local leaders and groups to discuss ways to bring the ultra-fast broadband service to communities,   the company said in a press release. Communities that have suitable network facilities, and show the strongest investment   deals, based on anticipated demand and the most receptive policies, will influence the company's selections, AT&T said.

If Google is allowed to go after specific neighborhoods and homes in Austin, Texas, AT&T says it should be able to snag the same terms and conditions for its own fiber-optic deployment.

"I think you are going to see that begin to manifest itself around the United States, and in not just AT&T and Google. You will see others doing this because the demand for really high-speed broadband via gigabit-type fiber-based solutions on a targeted basis is going to be very, very high," Stephenson said.