Cities clamor for Google’s high-speed broadband experiment
Google Inc.’s announcement last month that it would build a high-speed broadband network set off fierce competition among 600 communities, the Internet powerhouse said in a blog post Friday.
Google hasn’t been specific about the criteria in selecting which community will get the experimental fiber optic hookup, simply saying it wants to increase Internet access and spur competition. The service would offer connection speeds of 1 gigabit per second -- 100 times faster than many high-speed home connections, the company said.
Communities have reacted to the project in force. The company said it also received more than 190,000 responses from individuals.
“We’ve seen cities rename themselves, great YouTube videos, public rallies and hundreds of grass-roots Facebook groups come to life, all with the goal of bringing ultra-high-speed broadband to their communities,” Google said.
Among the antics to draw Google’s attention: The mayor of Duluth, Minn., jumped into the icy waters of Lake Superior, and the mayor of Topeka, Kan., renamed his city “Google” for the month of March. Rancho Cucamonga got a Web makeover as Rancho Googlemonga. Closer to Google’s Mountain View, Calif., headquarters, folks in Palo Alto boogied to the Village People’s “YMCA” in front of City Hall.
“We’re not going to be able to build in every interested community,” said Google, which plans to reach as many as 500,000 people with its Google Fiber for Communities experiment.
“Wherever we decide to build, we hope to learn lessons that will help improve Internet access everywhere,” Google said. “After all, you shouldn’t have to jump into frozen lakes and shark tanks to get ultra-high-speed broadband.”
Google plans to conduct on-site visits and meet with local officials before choosing the winner. That decision will come by year’s end.
