Evanston has entered Google’s nationwide competition to bring a high-speed Internet network to a small number of cities.
Since February cities of 50,000 to 500,000 people have competed to be chosen by Google as test sites for the company’s high-speed fiber Internet, which Google says is up to 100 times faster than the average American’s service. A city’s chances can improve if residents and community organizations nominate it online.
In February, several community members suggested the city enter the competition, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said. The city then started a campaign to encourage Evanston residents and organizations to nominate it online.
Officials said Evanston could gain considerably from the fiber network.
“This will only benefit Evanston’s initiative to become the most livable city in America,” Tisdahl said. “It will advance business and educational opportunities and increase Internet access all over the city.”
The city submitted a video last week to Google nominating itself. Other organizations submitted videos supporting the city’s bid, including Evanston Township High School, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Northwesternand NorthShore University HealthSystem.
Evanston faces competition from across the country, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said.
“It became very clear very quickly from other communities around America that they were taking advantage of this opportunity as well,” he said. “So in addition to a well thought out response, we also needed ‘hoopla.'”
The “hoopla,” Bobkiewicz said, includes a marketing campaign, slogan, press conference and “Google Day,” a day devoted to spreading the nomination message to the Evanston community.
The Google network would bring increased Internet accessibility to south and west Evanston, which are areas with limited access to electronic resources, community volunteer Mary Alice Ball said.
“Google has a track record of being very interested in breaching the digital divide,” Ball said. “Expanding Internet access will allow for more jobs in poorer areas of Evanston.”
Bobkiewicz said Evanston’s diverse demographic is a reason Google should choose Evanston as a test site.
“We have the young, the old, the rich and the poor,” he said. “Evanston has an entrepreneurial spirit that will only be enhanced by a fiber network.”
NU students would benefit from the network as well, said Weinberg freshman Alisha Hsu.
“As students, we need that high-speed network,” she said. “NU is known as one of the top research universities. It is critical that we have high speed broadband to facilitate those efforts.”[email protected]
