Milwaukee joins Google lottery

The City of Milwaukee wants Google to bring its super-fast fiber optic network test project here, and Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Willie Hines Jr. are joining forces in seeking residents’ help with the bid.
Google has said it plans to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country that can deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections.
Milwaukee officials have indicated the project could create hundreds of jobs and bring tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment.
Google is encouraging people to go to their website to tell them why they think their community should be selected for the project. The link is http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options.
The campaign has been an effective public relations stunt for Google, as cities throughout the nation are rallying support to apply for the upgrades.
Mayor Tom Barrett is encouraging Milwaukeeans to go to the website to nominate Milwaukee for the project.
“I’m hoping this Google Search leads to Milwaukee jobs,” he said.
In a showing of legislative and executive cooperation, the mayor and the Common Council made sure the city submitted its application to be selected as a Google Fiber test location on the first day that applications were accepted.
Hines said he believes Milwaukee would be a great choice for the Google Fiber network project. “As a city we’re just the right size for the Google Fiber project, with ample telecom infrastructure, and diverse neighborhoods featuring an array of residential housing styles,” he said. “We’re not too big, but we’re also home to professional sports franchises, major colleges and universities, top-notch arts and culture, great ethnic and music festivals, and Fortune 500 employers such as Manpower, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Northwestern Mutual Life and Johnson Controls (Inc.).”
– BizTimes Milwaukee