This page us updated a lot, please check back.
Disclaimer: Duluth Politics has no direct connection to any of the links on this page. It is just our effort to help promote the project.
Note: At the bottom of this page is Q&A about the project. The information groups from the the Duluth group and it is from a fact sheet they have. Also there is the groups mission statement.
This page is dedicated to hopefuly getting Google to come here for the new fiber-optic. Google is in the process of searching for cities to take part in the a test program.
This page will have information about the project and how you can get involved if you wish too.
There will be a lot comming soon, this is just getting started. For now here is the groups website and a couple interesting atricales.
News:
Mondya March 8th: Today Google Twinports announced that they will be filming a movie. The movie will be made by a hollywood producer. Most of the moive will be made March 20th at the DECC. That will also be the site of a rally they will hold that day.
Monday March 8th: Google twinports had a booth at the women;s expot this weekend. It was a great event for the team. They received a lot of support at the event.
Wensday March 3rd: If you are looking to help bring Google fiber here. You are asked to stop at the groups office 101 W. 2nd street in Duluth. There you will be educated on what you can do to help. You may also call the office at 260-2882. Office hours are 9am to 9pm.
Monday March 1st: Duluth Mayor Don Ness posted on the facebook page for twinports google that he would like 10,000 by Friay. 10,000 fans and 10,00 people to sign up to support bringing google fiber-optic to the city. In the post he said it was a lofty goal but possible if everyone send out invites to the facebook page and asked them to visit http://www.googletwinports.com/.
The Twinports Google group was at fun-fest on Saturday 2-27-10. They where at the event to help people understand what google is doing. They helped promote the project by talking with people that stopped at the booth. They also had information sheets that people could take home to get more information.
Events: March 10th they will have a booth at an event at UWS, time not yet known.
March 20 Rally and movie creation at the DECC 2-4pm.
Press releases:
MARCH 8, 2010 —
An open casting call for Google Movie will be held from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, at the Carnegie Building in Duluth, located at 101 West Second Street, Suite 200.
Participants don’t need an appointment for the casting call.
“We’re looking for enthusiastic supporters of all ages,” says Patrick Garmoe, public information officer for the Google Twin Ports Fiber Initiative. “We’ve hired a Hollywood director to shoot a movie geared to impress both the public at large and Google specifically, and would love to have a big crowd of actors involved.”
Part of the movie will be shot during the Google Fest rally between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on March 20, at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
Twinports google site: http://www.googletwinports.com/
Twinports google on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=297173064066
Links:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/newburyport/news/x593979371/High-speed-networking-City-seeks-nomination-to-test-Google-s-fiber-optic-system
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/161554/
Information for fact sheet on google fiber:
What is Google planning to build?
Ultra-high speed fiber-optic broadband networks in one or more locations across the country. Google is offering Internet speeds of one gigabit
per second, from 100 to 1,000 times faster than what anyone in the greater Duluth-Superior area currently enjoys.
What is a fiber-optic network?
Instead of a copper telephone line (DSL service) or a coaxial cable (cable internet) fiber-optic service delivers the data over a flexible fiber,
allowing for almost unlimited growth and speeds for Internet, phones and data. Copper and coaxial cable can’t be expanded. Fiber is therefore
the technology of the future, much faster and more reliable than wireless Internet.
Why would I really need anything faster than what I have?
This change would make what you have now feel like a dial-up connection. Just like when broadband replaced dial-up you were able to view
videos online and use the Internet more effectively, ultra high-speed bandwidth will create a new wave of innovation. Many of the new webbased
applications that are being developed that require higher speed include high-definition video. The services being developed will allow the
elderly for example to interact with medical specialists and relatives in other cities from the comfort of their homes through high quality video
feeds. Benefits also include teachers working remotely with students in vastly superior ways than the current Internet allows, and dramatically
increasing access to more jobs.
What impact would it have on this community?
It would serve as a colossal, new economic engine, akin to the benefits of sitting beside Lake Superior. The experiment would likely turn
Duluth-Superior into a Midwestern technology-innovation hub. Many new programs and services requiring ultra-high speed fiber will naturally
be created in communities that have fiber. Many existing businesses now want their employees to have the speed and access at home that
they have in their business facilities. People could also return to the region, precisely because they could work from here, thanks to the high
Internet speeds. This project would bring the kind of outside economic investment and international attention to Duluth-Superior that came to
the first towns that received the railroad or electricity.
How much will it cost the average taxpayer?
Google plans to offer the service at about the price you’re paying now for Internet service, or cheaper. There may be a small connection charge
to bring the wire from the street to your home, but a precise figure isn’t known yet. If you don’t personally want the service, you’d pay nothing,
and neither would your city.
Why is Google doing this?
Google says its goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone.
Why am I being asked to help?
Google wants to find one or more communities where it’s obvious the residents truly want the company to come. Area residents need to show
Google that Duluth-Superior is focused on building a sustainable economy, is progressive and filled with talent, and is undergoing an economic
renaissance. How organized and excited the community is, what infrastructure is currently available and many other factors will play into the
decision. Please visit www.googletwinports.com where you’ll be walked through how to urge Google to come to Duluth-Superior.
NOTE: This FAQ was NOT written by Google. It was created to promote the Google Twin Ports broadband initiative and attract Google to our area, you can contact the group
directly at 260-2882. Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to are the property of their respective trademark holders
Mission Statement:
To our supporters,
We wanted to take a moment to reiterate our mission, goals, contact information, and how you can help.
The mission of the Google Twin Ports Fiber Initiative is to win the Google Fiber project by showing Google the community’s passion for fiber – high speed Internet, video and voice – the highly skilled workforce in our communities, the strong, supportive entrepreneurial environment, and the community’s visionary leadership.
A. Fiber to each home and business is critical to Duluth and Superior’s economic vitality.
B. Communities that receive fiber first will be the ones that gain the biggest economic benefit, like the first towns with the railroad, electricity or Interstate highways.
C. Duluth and Superior can provide Google with the best return on investment in Google Fiber
The main organization number: Google Twin Ports Fiber Initiative
101 West 2nd Street
Suite 200
Duluth
218-260-2882
How you can help:
Fill out the two forms on http://www.googletwinports.com, one telling us you want to help, and second, telling Google they should come here.
And again, everyone is encouraged to come to headquarters office and donate your time when available."
