In addition, large swaths of NYC already have Verizon FiOS, which isn't too bad by the standards of American ISPs. Even non-FiOS buildings (like the one I live in) have reasonable options; I get 50mb down and 5 mb up right now, in the East Village, for $50 a month from RCN cable.

By contrast, in Tucson (where I used to live), I got 12mb down and 1 or 2 mb up for about $70.

RCN's speeds aren't equivalent to Google Fiber, but they're not terrible either.

Most commercial buildings in NYC will have access to commercial-grade fiber connections as well. NYC is one of the best-connected cities in the world already. I doubt Austin is even close.

Just curious - how is wireless data for you in NYC? On my iPhone 4S (AT&T) Manhattan speeds are much, much slower than say Baltimore suburbs.

I have no idea—I have an iPhone, but I barely use its capabilities and would probably have a dumb phone if this one didn't come via my work.

Same. My LTE tests at 8mbps down in residential areas of Manhattan. In Texas I was regularly getting 28mbit down.

By "large swaths" do you mean "a few brand-new buildings"? Because that's the only place I've ever heard of Fios being available.