Kirstie Smith, pictured, recently held a conference at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce to acquaint everyone with how to register on Google's website in support of the new Broadband Beyond Borders' application to Google to be part of their experiment in the building of ultra high-speed fiber optic Internet systems.
Google, the multinational public cloud computing and Internet search technologies corporation, on February 10, 2010 announced a new experiment. They say that they are planning to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the country. What this would do is deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans currently have access to with one gigabit per second, fiber-to-optic home connections, and offering the service at a competitive price.
Google says its goal is "to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better, and faster for everyone." They cite:
- "Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive 'killer apps' and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.
- New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.
- Openness and choice: We'll operate an 'open access' network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way."
Because Google's caveat is that they are looking for communities of not less than 50,000 residents and Joplin, the largest city in the region falls short by a couple of thousand people based upon the last census, Mark Morris, Joplin's director of information services, got on the stick to create a regional partnership. Known as Broadband Beyond Borders, The Heartland Giga-Region Initiative, it is a coalition of about 280,000 people from nine sovereign nations, six counties and three states--Barton, Jasper and Newton in Missouri; Cherokee and Crawford in Kansas and Ottawa in Oklahoma.
"We are very excited about the prospect of bringing extremely high speed Internet services to this region," Morris said. "This project will affect thousands of citizens in multiple uses of the Internet on both a personal and professional level."
Student representatives convened on March 4, 2010 at Galena High School in Galena, KS. They were asked to identify how the region would benefit from Google's high speed service and name the cooperative effort that would achieve this goal.
Representatives from 14 area school districts, local institutions of higher learning and home schools met at Galena High School on March 4, 2010 to help define what benefits the region would gain from Google's high speed service. In addition to the unfathomable benefits that would be gained for the area, Shelby Madden, a student at Baxter Middle School, summed it up for Google: Selecting the central US, otherwise known as the "heartland," she said, "Google would increase its influence to small town America."
In addition to the students, representatives from several local communities showed their support. Brian Smith, superintendent of Galena schools, spoke of March 4 as an "historic day." He called it a tremendous step in the right direction for economic development.
"It is critical for students to have access to data never before possible," Smith said. He sees its positive effect on state assessment testing and hopes that students consequently would be motivated to contribute to the progress of their communities.
Mark Turnbull, economic development director for Pittsburg, KS, lauds the cooperation shown by area community leaders. "It is imperative that the people of the region support this effort by responding to Google's community input survey," he said.
What can you do to help?
Community members have until March 26, 2010 to take the Google community input survey. Follow these steps:
- Go to Broadband Beyond Borders here.
- Click on "Take Action" link.
- Select "Nominate your community" (or government response, if appropriate)
- Fill in required fields: Your name, "Broadband Beyond Borders" in organization or community group box, describe need for coalition if you wish, the city where you live not work and the state, answer why Google should build a fiber to home network where you live, answer questions about your Internet service, if you can.
- Click on "Send nomination."
Google will require you to sign up for a Google account. Also keep in mind that in order to answer questions about the speed of your current service, unless you already know, you will have to test it in the evening (test site link provided).
Your cooperation is extremely important!
For the government's investigation of broadband go here. Go Back |
