Click
here for a map of WiFi hotspots in Anderson
HELP bring the Google
FIBER project to Anderson!!!
Google is looking to build an ultra-high speed fiber network somewhere in the U.S.
and we think Anderson would be a great fit! The City will be submitting a response
to Google's RFI but we need YOUR help. Google is looking for a community partner
and they have a website where you can go to nominate Anderson. Just click the "Get
Involved!" button and go to Google's site. If you want to know more before going
to Google's site, below is some information that might be helpful.
If you have any question or want more information you can e-mail us at
AndersonFiber@gmail.com
Google is launching a new project expected
to make Internet access better and faster for everyone by developing ultra-high
speed broadband networks in locations across the country. These networks will deliver
Internet speeds over 100 times faster than most Americans have access to today.
Google has asked interested municipalities
to provide information through a formal Request for information (RFI), which they'll
use to determine where to build the network.
Economic
Development Director Linda Dawson has stated that Google’s potential investment in Anderson ranks as the
TOP Economic Development opportunity she has seen in her career.
Anderson WILL complete
this information to compete forGoogle’s investment… and you can help!
Google
is very
interested in community participation so we need as many people from in and around
Anderson to participate as possible. This is a rare opportunity for community
members to have a strong impact on the success of an economic development prospect.
You can help Anderson make a strong case for Google’s investment by going to
www.cityofanderson.com and following the link
to the Google questionnaire. We have from
now until March 26th to show
Google that Anderson is the right place
for their investment!
About
the
Google questionnaire:
1. In one
question,
Google will ask about the speed of your
internet connection and show you three tools for testing. We suggest http://speedtest.net Go to the site
and click on "begin test" just above the map; in a few seconds you’ll
have your Download and Upload speeds. Don't forget to specify
Mb/s or
Kb/s, depending on which one applies.
2. Another
question that might leave you wondering is, "Why should Google build a fiber to the home network where you live?"
It's a good question! We
encourage you to think outside the box. "My Internet is really slow"
is something they're going to hear over and over again. Here are some ideasfor more
creative answers:
“Anderson
has a wide range of income levels. This would be a great test community to
see the affect of high speed in bridging the digital divide.”
“Many residents
commute to Indianapolis, making Anderson a great area to test telecommuting applications.”
“Anderson
has the Flagship Enterprise Center which is an incubator for small companies to
get their start. This would be a great area for startups to create and test
new broadband applications.”
“Anderson
owns and operates its own electric utility, making building in this area much easier
than others.”
“Anderson
is a community that has invested in itself and its infrastructure even when large
corporations moved out. It’s a community that has turned hardship into
innovation”.
“For a city
of around 60,000 people, Anderson has a rich mix of institutions, including higher
education, businesses, finance, and residential, all of which could benefit differently
from the speeds Google fiber would bring”.
After you
complete the response, we would greatly appreciate you sending us an e-mail to
googlefiber@cityofanderson.com to let us know how it went. This will
help us gauge how many responses Google is receiving from our community and how easily participants
are navigating the questionnaire.
In the
coming weeks, you will see City staff and volunteers in the community with displays
and videos as we build You Tube short videos of Anderson fans asking
Google to invest in us. To learn
more about fiber, the
Google RFI, or to volunteer more ideas
to win this investment, get in touch with Darren Grile at AndersonFiber@gmail.com or go to our
Facebook page
www.facebook.com/googlefiberforanderson/
and our Twitter feed at twitter.com/AndersonFiber