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Friday, March 19, 2010

Philadelphia, the City of Google-y Love

You may have heard that Google Inc. plans to build a bunch of experimental broadband networks that would be far faster than anything currently in operation.

The company announced its plans in February, and any city or town can apply to land one of these networks that promise speeds of 1 gigabit per second to as many as 500,000 people.

Because the deadline is next Friday, cities are scrambling to prove they’re worthy, cool, or odd enough to warrant Google’s attention. The mayor of Topeka, Kan., even changed his city’s name (temporarily) to Google.

Philadelphia has a strong case why Google should test its ultrafast service here, according to the city’s chief technology officer, Allan Frank.

Something of a speedtalker, Frank has been making the rounds of universities, investment professionals, and the techie grassroots groups that have sprung up in the last five years. He talked about the city’s Google application at Wednesday night’s “Fishbowl” event held by one of them, Philly Startup Leaders.

According to its cofounder, Blake Jennelle, those in attendance were underwhelmed. He said Google wanted to see imagination. So the board of this loose network of entrepreneurs ponied up $5,000 - pretty much all it had in the bank - for a contest seeking the “best ultra-high-bandwidth idea” submitted to the grassroots Gigabit Philly Web site.

What kind of idea? Jennelle said it might be putting $150 netbook computers in the hands of every Philadelphia public-school student who’d be able to use broadband access to tap school materials in the “cloud computing” environment.

To Jennelle, winning a Google broadband system would be symbolic of the risk-taking city he wants Philadelphia to become.

Frank also wants to land that 1-gigabit network and is encouraging people with big digital dreams to submit their ideas about what Philadelphia could do with an unimaginably fast network to www.gigabitphilly.com.

To Frank, the Google test-bed contest is really a catalyst to “democratizing speed” and encouraging technology ecosystems in parts of the city.

And no, we won’t be re-branded Googledelphia. But Frank does like the sound of “Gigabit City.”
Posted by Mike Armstrong @ 8:26 AM  Permalink | File Under: Technology | 4 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:21 AM, 03/19/2010
    too bad netbooks can't fix schools
    — dreinterests
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:05 AM, 03/20/2010
    This is very cool. It would be great for Philly !
    — thesomersteam
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:16 PM, 03/25/2010
    as awesome as this would be, do you think Comcast wouldn't try to prevent it at all costs. They can barely compete as it is but have some bizarre stronghold on the city.....
    — jmm326
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:48 AM, 07/29/2010
    great news ..google has truly become a giant because of it diversification and research.Also it will beneficial for Philiys. logo design (HTML deleted)
    — susanmkt


4 comments
About Mike Armstrong
Mike Armstrong, a business editor and writer for nearly two decades, is the Inquirer's business columnist and PhillyInc blog editor. Contact Mike via e-mail or at 215-854-2980
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