Looks like completion at work Verizon Fios charges far more than that for lower speeds in MD and VA. However, NYC's is still twice what it costs in many cities around the world.
I'm not sure whether those other "cities around the world" are a fair comparison. Install and operating expenses for fiber are dominated by labor costs, and skilled labor in the U.S. is expensive. The median adjusted household income in the U.S. is 90% higher than in Spain, and 40% higher than in France. That's why I used London and Zurich as points of reference, rather than say Barcelona (where, as you point out, you can get gigabit for under $45/month).
The plan is technically $195 monthly with a ton of “special bonus discounts.” Existing customers aren’t allowed to sign up at all yet, and the price will be higher when they can.
That article from almost a year ago (which was just mindless regurgitation of the ars Technica piece which was also wrong) was not reflective of reality. It actually wasn't even correct when it was written, but you had to know to ask for the lower rate.
Don't ask PR people sales questions. Call sales, be friendly, you'll get the real price. Call PR or sound like an I-Hate-ISPs jerk, pay the jerk tax.
