Google Fiber officially confirmed for Austin, Texas

It was almost two years ago when Google announced Google Fiber, and it began to roll out in various neighborhoods across Kansas City last year. For the first time, though, Google is expanding the service and will be bringing Google Fiber to Austin, Texas. The company officially announced the news today after a leaked press release made its way out yesterday.

Google says that Austin is "a mecca for creativity and entrepreneurialism, with thriving artistic and tech communities." The University of Texas is also located in Austin, which is the location of a new medical research hospital where Google is particularly excited for the folks there to utilize the gigabit internet.

Google expects to start rolling out its Fiber internet service in Austin by mid-2014, and customers in that area will have similar choices of product tiers as the users in Kansas City. However, pricing details are still being worked out by the search giant, but they'll be "roughly similar" to the prices in Kansas City.

Google will be offering the same free fiber internet deal as those in Kansas City. Customers can a free internet connection at 5Mbps for 7 years, as long as they pay the one-time construction fee, which is around $300. Google plans to not only roll out its internet to residents, but also universities, hospitals, community centers, and other public places.