7 Years After Suing To Crush EPB's Municipal Fiber Rollout, Comcast Brings 2Gbps Internet To Chattanooga

Still licking its wounds following the spectacular collapse of its bid to acquire Time Warner Cable (TWC), Comcast is refocusing its energy on expanding 2Gbps fiber Internet across the country. Comcast kicked off its 2Gbps Gigabit Pro service in Atlanta, and later in parts of Florida and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Gigabit Pro is now expanding to none other than Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was just seven years ago that Comcast threw down the gauntlet, suing the Chattanooga Electric Power Board (EPB) to block the creation of the city’s own fiber Internet and cable TV service. The EPB only took this step after it fought for years to persuade Comcast to improve its Internet speeds. After Comcast refused, the EPB decided to go it alone.

Needless to say, Comcast lost in court and the EPB built out its fiber network, launching the service in 2009. Ever since, residents have had access to 1Gbps Internet and cable TV services. The EPB offers 100Mbps internet for just $57.99/month and the full 1Gbps for $69.99/month. Packages that include 1Gbps Internet and cable TV start at $118.13.

But Chattanooga residents will now have a faster alternative to consider now that Gigabit Pro has come to town. Comcast says that the service will reach 200,000 customers in Chattanooga starting in June and will have an even wider rollout of the coming months.

"Gigabit Pro will be the fastest internet available to residential customers in Chattanooga," said Doug Guthrie, Comcast SVP of the South Region. "This important milestone follows years’ worth of investments we’ve made to consistently deliver the fastest in-home and Wi-Fi speeds to the most homes and businesses in our markets.  We’re excited that Chattanooga will become one of the first cities in the country to enjoy the nation’s fastest residential speeds."

Comcast has not yet announced pricing for its Gigabit Pro service in Chattanooga, but we would assume that pricing would be very competitive with EPB’s fiber Internet service. After all, it would have to be in order for customers to leave the comfort of EPB to come crawling back to Comcast’s house of horrors.