Ann Arbor’s efforts to attract Google’s latest innovation
There’s nothing like a healthy competition to showcase strengths – and that’s exactly what Google has in mind right now. Ann Arbor is among the range of communities across the U.S. applying for a test run of Google’s brand-new fiber network. Google recently implemented a revolutionary program to test this ultra-high-speed broadband network in a selection of communities. According to the official Google blog, this fiber network is 100 times faster than current cable and DSL connections. Its capabilities include quicker and more efficient video downloading and conferencing, with which Google would like to experiment practically – so for 50,000-500,000 lucky Americans, Google will test-install a fiber-to-home connection at a competitive price and monitor the results. With this new universal and open-access online opportunity, will people come up with new applications and unheard-of Internet phenomena? Communities are competing for the opportunity to show Google what they’ve got.
Fiber would be a valuable windfall for Ann Arbor. The new network would likely bring high-tech companies to town and probably create jobs in the future. It could have a great impact on the University of Michigan and especially its health system, according to A2Fiber.com. So what are the chances that Google Fiber will actually choose Ann Arbor?
Google sent out a request for information on February 10 with response forms for local governments and interested citizens. Based on the results of these applications, turned in on March 26, they’ll choose their target communities by the end of this year. Ann Arbor got a late start, but a few dedicated citizens pulled together Google Fest on March 26 to get the word out and the community moving. The day of revelry included a noontime flash mob – over a thousand people gathered to chant the A2 Fiber Anthem in the Diag – as well as performances in the Diag by local musicians and dance groups and discounts at local businesses. Brandon Wallace, a U of M law school student and the community organizer behind Google Fest, thinks Ann Arbor has a shot at success.
Google’s criteria for test communities include their “level of community support,” according to a Google Fiber Announcement Policy, which Google Fest certainly demonstrates. Instead of parroting flashy gimmicks (the mayor of Sarasota swam with sharks to attract Google’s attention), the fact that Google Fest coalesced quickly is “not so much to get national media attention.” According to Wallace, “To show Google that we can come together to organize this … is the most convincing thing we can demonstrate.”
Other communities in the area are mobilizing as well – Grand Rapids “got started really early,” said Wallace. But even though Grand Rapids’ fiber page on Facebook may have had more fans than Ann Arbor’s, there are overwhelming reasons for Ann Arbor’s success. “I think they (Ann Arbor) have a way better chance (than Grand Rapids),” said Wallace. “Ann Arbor has a lot of natural factors that work in its favor.”
These are indeed plentiful. According to A2Fiber.com, Ann Arbor has a history of Internet innovation. U of M was one of the first universities on the Internet, and Google’s AdWords office downtown is their third largest office in the U.S. The combined resources of the city and the University make for diverse testing grounds, especially with the University’s top-notch medical system. Ann Arbor also sports cultural attractions like art fairs and film festivals, and is even a good choice logistically, with an easily-accessed underground conduit network and simplistic permit process.
Google Fiber could also immediately impact the Ann Arbor Public Schools, which teamed up with the city and university to submit Ann Arbor’s application. The increased capabilities of the fiber network would allow district schools to increase online opportunities. “As AAPS moves into more on-line offerings having the Google Fiber would greatly increase the district’s ability to offer more on-line classes in a quick and efficient manner,” said Liz Margolis, AAPS Director of Communications. The fiber network might also be inexpensive and efficient enough to reach to families that may not have connection now.
Beyond the basics of better Internet, Google Fiber could bring significant changes to Ann Arbor itself. The town could become a center of serious impact in the future. Wallace foresees economic shift from the failure people have grown accustomed to recently “I grew up in Flint, watching GM … wouldn’t it be nice to see something move in? Some industry shift to the Midwest?” Google Fiber could benefit Ann Arbor immensely, and the city certainly has benefits to offer Google. “Google got this opportunity to demonstrate fiber is viable economically,” maintained Wallace. Let’s hope they choose to demonstrate here.
