



When the cat's away, the mouse will play, or charge more for his services, as the case may be. Or to be more specific, AT&T is launching its fiber Internet service in parts of Cupertino, California, home of Apple, but is charging more for 1Gbps speeds than it does in other areas where U-verse with GigaPower is offered.In Kansas City and Austin, AT&T's U-verse with GigaPower costs $70 per month for gigabit service when opting in to its "Internet Preferences" program, which gives the company permission to view your web traffic. In exchange, AT&T matches Google's competing fiber Internet pricing in both areas.Google Fiber isn't offered in Cupertino, and so AT&T is charging $110 per month for 1Gbps, or $80 per month for 300Mbps service. Ready for the kicker? You still have to opt-in to AT&T's Internet Preferences program. We'll have to wait and see if residents and businesses cry foul over the pricing discrepancy for the exact same service as what's being offered in Kansas City and Austin, though the city's mayor doesn't seem fazed by it."We are proud to be the first city on the west coast to launch the AT&T GigaPower network, bringing the speed of fiber to homes and businesses,"' said Cupertino Mayor Rod Sinks. "People come to Cupertino from around the world, and want to connect with families and culture in their home countries, as well as with work colleagues and customers worldwide. We place high value on education and access to information, and GigaPower enables more and improved services, from remote learning to telemedicine to entertainment."Pricing strategy aside, AT&T is thinking about expanding its fiber network to up to 100 cities and municipalities across 25 markets. And if its proposed acquisition of DirecTV is approved, AT&T will expand its GigaPower network to an additional 2 million customer locations, the company said.