Google Receives Chico Fiber Application: What Next?

So what is next for Chico?

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

Google Receives Chico Fiber Application

Thanks to all who participated in the development of the technical application and the video that was submitted to Google this week. If you have not had the opportunity to view the video, please click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUZ6HcHA6DE&feature=player_embedded

Google Fiber for Chico Community Forum

A community forum to provide information and hear public input for the development of the application for the Google Fiber Pilot Project is scheduled for Wednesday March 10, 2010, 4-6 pm. at Chico State's PAC 144. The facility is located adjacent to the BMU on the northside of Second and Chestnut Streets.

The event will be facilitated by Cathy Emerson from the Northern California Small Business Development Center. Ms. Emerson is the Director of the Northern California Broadband project.

If you cannot attend the meeting, please post your comments on www.chicofiber.net.

GOOGLE FIBER PROJECT OVERVIEW

CEPCO is coordinating an initiative to nominate the City of Chico as a candidate for Google’s ultra high speed internet development project “Google Fiber for Communities.”  The possible abilities of this cutting-edge technology include streaming three-dimensional medical imaging over the internet in our local hospitals of clinics, the capacity to download an HD feature film in less than five minutes, and bringing live 3D video of a university lecture while collaborating with students from around the world.  The possibilities are limitless given the radically increased bandwidth this project would deploy: 1 gigabit per second, about 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.

The Google Fiber for Communities Project is an opportunity for Google to drive innovation in a number of sectors.  Google’s primary objective is to experiment with new ways to help make internet access better and faster for everyone.  Google is eager to see what developers and users can do with ultra-high speeds.  This service should enable designers and users to create applications previously unimaginable due to bandwidth limitations.  Equally as exciting are the possibilities for use in ways Google cannot yet envision, as no large scale deployment of this bandwidth in a public space has ever occurred.

Google will also be testing new ways to build fiber networks, to further improve their service and infrastructure capacities.  The network build by this project will be “open access”, giving users the choice of multiple service providers.  Like Google’s other projects, notably their famous WiFi success in Mountain View, this will be managed in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent manner. 

The possibility of Chico being involved in Google’s next “experiment” in internet technology is tremendously exciting. To nominate our community for this new technology initiative, use the following link: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi.