AT&T and Charter brief Austin Technology Commission on affordable home internet options and deployment hurdles

Paige Johnson of AT&T and Ned Munoz of Charter (Spectrum) presented to the City of Austin Technology Commission on Dec. 4, outlining recent infrastructure investments, low‑cost program options for limited‑income households and operational concerns that affect local deployment.

Johnson said AT&T invested nearly $12.9 billion across Texas from 2020–2024 and about $1.1 billion in the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown area during the same period. She described AT&T Fiber growth (8 million fiber customers nationwide) and the company’s Access from AT&T affordability program, which she said offers up to 100 megabits per second on AT&T fiber for $30 per month where eligible and is available to households below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Johnson said she would follow up with commissioners on how that $30 price point compares to the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) that ended last year and on local conversion statistics from ACP to the AT&T plan.

Ned Munoz said Charter invested roughly $47 billion in infrastructure and technology between 2020 and 2024 and serves about 3.5 million customers in Texas. He described Spectrum’s consumer pricing and low‑cost options: Spectrum’s non‑promotional retail rates are currently $80 for 500 Mbps and $100 for 1 Gbps, and the company offers Spectrum Internet Assist for $25 per month and Spectrum Internet Advantage for $50 per month as income‑qualified options. Munoz said Charter is investing more than $6 billion in network evolution to expand multi‑gigabit speeds and highlighted the company’s efforts to deploy new wireless and fiber infrastructure.

Both presenters said they would provide follow‑ups: AT&T to supply comparative ACP/Access pricing and local conversion data, and Charter to share service‑footprint information and the level of detail they can provide for service‑area maps. Commissioners pressed both companies on coverage and reliability in neighborhoods outside central Austin and on the extent to which low‑cost offers are available in wireless‑only or non‑fiber areas. Munoz recommended earlier project notifications and coordinated utility approval timelines to shorten the current 4–8 month review process for some city‑funded projects.

The commission did not take action on policy during the meeting but recorded requests to pursue follow‑up data from both companies. Commissioners indicated interest in inviting other providers (for example, Google Fiber and Astound) to future meetings so the commission can compare affordable plans and service footprints across providers.

Quote examples from the presentation and Q&A: "Over the past several years, AT and T has made substantial investments in Texas to modernize and expand our network infrastructure," Paige Johnson said. "We have Spectrum Internet Assist for $25 a month," Ned Munoz said.

The commission asked the presenters to circulate follow‑up information and to coordinate on possible future presentations.