By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
Local community leaders hope Google Inc. will consider the Joplin area for an ultra-high-speed, fiber-optic Internet system.
More than 40 people attended a news conference Monday at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce regarding the local initiative, which has been named Broadband Beyond Borders.
Barton, Jasper and Newton counties, Crawford and Cherokee counties in Kansas, and Ottawa County, Okla., make up the region that leaders hope will be selected by Google to test the new Internet system, said Mark Morris, director of informational services for the city of Joplin.
“Google has thrown down the gauntlet, if you will, to try to bring the community together to come up with a test market” for the system, Morris said. “They’re trying to bring it to the home.”
The primary appeal of a fiber-optic system is its speed, said Kirstie Smith, the Joplin chamber’s communications director. According to Google, the network boasts a connection of more than one gigabit per second, which is 100 times faster than what most people have access to in their homes.
Smith said the possibilities involved with a fiber-optic network are almost endless, and they could include faster downloads and uploads, and different ways to stream material. She said the network would reach all homes in the region, even those in rural areas.
“Maybe (a rural resident) can turn on a channel on the TV and chat live with her doctor and nurse,” she said. “We don’t even know all the fabulous things that could take place with this connectivity.”
John Biggs, mayor of Webb City, attended the news conference to learn more about the local initiative.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “I think it would be good for the community.”
Google plans to test its high-speed network in locations across the country that have populations between 50,000 and 500,000 people. Morris told the Globe previously that by joining with adjacent communities, Joplin — with just fewer than 50,000 people — would be able to meet the population requirement.
Residents in the six-county region are being encouraged to fill out an online survey that Google will use to determine community need for the Internet system.
The survey can be accessed at broadbandbeyondborders.com. Participants may click the “Learn More” tab for instructions and the “Take Action” tab to complete the survey.
A Google e-mail account is required.
Smith said that even if the Joplin area isn’t selected by Google to test the network, she hopes community leaders will continue efforts toward fast, reliable Internet service for residents.
Survey deadline
Google launched the initiative Feb. 10. Surveys must be completed by March 26.
