Gainesville could soon have the fastest Internet connections in the country thanks to a new Google initiative. Google is challenging communities to “Think Big with a Gig.” If selected Gainesville will have networks that deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over one gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. From now until March 26th, Google is asking interested municipalities to provide information about their communities through a Request for information (RFI), which will be used to determine where the network will be built. Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) has taken the lead on completing the RFI, but there is plenty more work to be done. Individuals can nominate Google through Google’s Request for Information page and keep up with the effort by connecting with the Gig4GNV Facebook page.
Building on the success of their WiFi network in Mountain View, California, Google hopes to “make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone,” according to the official Google blog. In 2006, Google WiFi brought wireless internet access to more than 70,000 residents by mounting wireless network equipment on public light poles. The experimental fiber network will provide fiber-to-the-home connections to an American community with at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 citizens. This access would be 100 times faster than most Americans currently have at a reasonable price. Pilot programs will experiment with what Google can do with fiber networks and share that information with the world. This is the first gigabit fiber to the home initiative that the United States has seen and promises to revolutionize the way Americans interact with the Internet.
Lev Gonick, VP for Information Technology Services, Case Western Reserve University, notes that “The Google Gigabit Fiber to the Home broadband research project serves to re-frame and provide the most compelling platform yet for 21st century science, technology, and innovation. . . We need our elected officials to embrace the vision of 21st century infrastructure that enables desirable jobs, education, health, and innovation.”
Fiber-optic lines are strands of optically pure glass as thin as a human hair that carry digital information over long distances. Lasers beam information through the glass strands which is then decoded and translated into an electrical signal which can be used by a computer or other electronic device. The technology is less expensive, uses less power and carries more information than traditional copper wiring. “We think we have a good shot,” notes Ed Regan, general manager of strategic planning for GRU, as Gainesville already has a significant amount of fiber-optic infrastructure already in place.
There are a number of ways Gainesville residents can help build momentum to bring Google to Gainesville:
- Residents can nominate Gainesville directly to Google through Google’s Request for Information page.
- A Facebook page has been formed to keep citizens connected with the effort.
- You can also follow Gig4GNV on Twitter for updates on the project’s progress.
- Testimonials or examples on how Gainesville can benefit from high speed fiber connections can be e-malied to Ted Kellerman at kellermantc@gru.com for inclusion in the official government proposal to Google.
