[tabi] Fw: City of Tallahassee News Release - City Leaders to Discuss Google Broadband Initiative

From: "Lynn Evans" <evans-lynn@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 17:21:40 -0500
FYI

----- Original Message ----- 
From: City of Tallahassee 
To: evans-lynn@xxxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 2:22 PM
Subject: City of Tallahassee News Release - City Leaders to Discuss Google 
Broadband Initiative


        
      City Leaders to Discuss Google Broadband Initiative

      Google, the California-based Internet search engine giant, recently 
announced an initiative to develop its own ultra-high speed broadband network. 
To determine the level of interest from communities throughout the nation, 
Google will test the service in several U.S. cities. Because of the vast 
economic development potential for the community from this proposal, the City 
of Tallahassee and several community partners are considering taking part in 
the initiative.

      As part of this effort, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and City 
Commissioner Gil Ziffer will meet tomorrow, March 2, with Sergio Pinon with 
E-Layaway and Alan Hanstein with Paragon New Media. Pinon and Hanstein are 
assisting in the local community involvement component of the application 
process. The meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the City Commission Office 
conference room on the fourth floor of City Hall, 300 S. Adams St.

      Commissioner Ziffer and Mayor Marks discussed Google's broadband 
initiative at this morning's Economic Development Target Issue Committee 
meeting, and a recommendation on taking part in the RFI process will be coming 
to the full City Commission at their March 10 meeting.

      Google's proposed network would provide users with Internet service at 
speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today 
- via one gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. For the trial 
phase, the company plans to offer the service to at least 50,000 people and 
perhaps up to 500,000, likely in several different communities.

      Google is asking cities to formally submit a Request for Information 
(RFI) to be part of the trial, with the company building test networks in the 
'winning' cities. The RFI, due March 26, includes questions regarding existing 
networking infrastructure, local economic development and overall community 
demographic information, permitting and regulatory issues and the community's 
existing Internet resources.

      Commissioner Ziffer first brought the issue to the City Commission for 
consideration, and two meetings have been held thus far to determine community 
interest. The first meeting, primarily including City personnel, featured an 
overall discussion of the Google initiative and the formal RFI process. The 
second meeting included a large and diverse group of community leaders who 
could potentially partner with the City on the application process, including 
representatives from local information technology companies, universities, 
media outlets, healthcare officials, Leon County Schools and others. This group 
continues to work on the broadband initiative, which does not obligate the City 
to any financial commitments.

      Contact: Michelle Bono, Assistant to the City Manager, 891-8200



     
        
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[tabi] Fw: City of Tallahassee News Release - City Leaders to Discuss Google Broadband Initiative

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