Comcast's faster-than-Google Fiber internet was always going to be expensive, and now the company has officially revealed just how much 2Gbps will cost you: $300 monthly. Gigabit Pro is what Comcast calls its fastest-ever consumer broadband tier, which offers twice the download and upload speeds of Google Fiber for $230 more per month. Just like Google's service, this isn't available to everyone; Comcast says you "must generally live within a third of a mile of our fiber network" in eligible cities to receive Gigabit Pro. The below map shows where that fiber network extends so far.

That's not where costs end, though. Comcast's fine print for Gigabit Pro notes that customers must sign a two-year contract to receive service, and (significant) early termination fees apply if you decide 2Gbps is overkill. And then there's this:

So you're potentially looking at an installation window of two months, and while the "up to" language gives Comcast wiggle room, some people could pay $1,000 before they've even used Gigabit Pro. Google also charges "construction fees" — usually $300 — for Fiber customers who opt for its most basic internet tier. But the fee is waived if you're on the more popular 1Gbps internet plan or an internet / Fiber TV bundle. Gigabit Pro cannot yet be bundled with other Comcast services.

On the plus side, Comcast is offering people who agree to that two-year contract an early promotional rate of $159 per month, according to DSL Reports. That makes the whole thing slightly easier to swallow. And if you're the type of person who can afford $300 internet every month, maybe the tacked on installation costs won't influence your thinking much anyway. Gigabit Pro could make sense for small businesses with colossal bandwidth needs, though Comcast seems to hope that business users stick with their own, more expensive plans. If nothing else, Gigabit Pro should make for a smooth experience watching Stream on every conceivable device inside your home.

Verge Video archive: Why Comcast's customer service is so bad (2014)