Google’s playing a multibillion-dollar game of chicken with traditional ISPs

No matter what the biggest Internet providers say, the average American knows that getting a competitive Internet connection can be difficult -- if not impossible, at times. New entrants such as Google Fiber have come seemingly out of nowhere to shake up this dynamic in some markets, prompting a race among Internet service providers (ISPs) to upgrade speeds and expand access to the fastest, cheapest fiber around. But a big question is how long this push can last.

Will the majority of America be served by Google Fiber when all is said and done? If not, can Google compel other providers to build out their fiber offerings -- and what will that take, exactly? If AT&T is convinced that Google Fiber wants to be everywhere, then it'll be incentivized to flood the zone itself. If AT&T thinks Google wants AT&T to do all the heavy lifting, then Google will have distracted its rival while it lays the groundwork for a much larger surprise attack. Of course, now that AT&T is poised to unveil fiber in many more cities than Google Fiber has hinted at, AT&T may have insulated itself from said surprise attack.