From Councilwoman Mary Cheh,
Neighbors,
I wanted to make you aware of an exciting pilot program by Google, Inc http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi to build fiber-optic ultra-high speed broadband infrastructure in selected communities throughout the United States. Until March 26th, Google will be accepting feedback from government officials and members of the general public to determine where to deploy the pilot. It is my understanding that public feedback will be crucial in Google’s decision.
As Chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, I oversee the Chief Technology Officer and would like to see the District participate in the Google fiber pilot. I understand that the Chief Technology Officer is interested in exploring this possibility and recognizes that this is a unique opportunity for the District to be on the cutting-edge of broadband internet access.
The proposed fiber-optic network proposed by Google would allow consumers to access data at speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, which is over 100 times faster than the connections that many utilize today. In addition, this network would offer additional choices to internet consumers.
To support my efforts to get Google to deploy their pilot in the District of Columbia, please sign my online petition https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE9ZNnJMaDNuNkl4aHRzd0cyZHhUdnc6MA . Also, please consider contacting Google http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi directly to learn more and add your voice to those nominating the District to participate in this exciting program.
Thanks and best regards,
Mary
Bates Area Civic Association 
Bring it on!
I am in favor of this project as I can attest to the fact that it is long overdue.
Google’s statements suggest that to be selected for the pilot program, communities need to demonstrate unique appeal as a test location. They must demonstrate support from local government officials, and infrastructure and a regulatory environment that will allow rapid deployment.
The most important question Google seems to be asking is “Why should Google build a fiber to the home network where you live?” So far I haven’t seem communities providing good answers other than great desire and support of local officials. DC can provide MUCH MORE compelling answers to this question.
DC has a unique diversity of residents and institutions that provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop ultra-high-speed network applications and demonstrate their benefits. DC’s has some of the nation’s most diverse residents from around the world including some of the best educated, and also many with educational challenges. The DC area includes large numbers of high-tech companies and professionals eager to develop new applications.
DC has unique challenges for which an ultra-high-speed network would provide a platform to demonstrate solutions such as telecommuting and continuity-of-operations for government and non-government organizations. These solutions are especially important in Washington, with some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation, where snowstorms effectively closed the federal government for an entire week recently, and the operations of many important organizations can be interrupted by weather or other disruptive events. Many organizations here have initiatives to develop these solutions.
DC has many institutions whose missions include outreach and making information freely available to the public, such as the federal government, C-Span, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, many associations, non-government organizations, grassroots and volunteer organizations, and a large number of colleges and universities. An ultra-high-speed network would encourage making DC’s vast stores of information available in new ways. New applications such as multi-camera broadcasts and video conferencing could provide residents more access and participation, and could also be available in lower-bandwidth form to others on the internet.
No other community could provide such great opportunities for developing and demonstrating an ultra-high-speed network. If the mayor and city council can quickly and solidly get behind this, DC could win and realize enormous benefits.
I agree that DC would make an ideal test-bed for google’s program; however, the question is how can we get that point across to the decision-makers. Currently, not enough people in DC know about this project for DC while other smaller cities have done a good job of telegraphing the news.
The intersection of government, acedemia and private sector in DC coupled with the vibrant, cross-cultural reach of the city should make it a natural fit. However, more people need to get involved.