I wonder if Goldman's estimate includes the cost of permits or not. One thing that bothers me about deploying fiber in the easiest city first is that it's not representative of the political environment in 90% of the US.
Given the response to Google's call for selection just from municipalities, I'd say the political environment is extremely favorable. Several cities have shown a willingness to rush through new ordinances to make it possible to issue permits quickly.
It's only the pressure from incumbent cable and telco operators that has held back municipal fiber deployment across most of the country. Once that pressure is pushed aside, cities are willing to move very quickly.
