CenturyLink announced Tuesday that it plans a broad rollout of fiber-optic service to Portland through next year, bringing ultra-fast “gigabit” service to select neighborhoods across Portland, The Oregonian reported. In Vancouver, that service is currently provided at some business and residential locations.
At the same time, CenturyLink is negotiating a new video franchise with Portland that could enable it to offer cable TV in the near future. CenturyLink’s upgrade comes as Google Fiber contemplates its own rollout across the Oregon side of the metro area that would include fiber-optic gigabit service and a cable TV option.
Together, they present a formidable challenge to Comcast, The Oregonian said. Unlike Comcast, though, CenturyLink and Google Fiber won’t serve the whole city. CenturyLink’s discounted, introductory rate for its gigabit service is $10 higher than Google Fiber’s standard, $70 a month price.
