Go, Milwaukee, go go go for Google.
But can’t we do better than this?
Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Willie Hines announced a joint effort to entice Google to build a high-speed broadband system in Milwaukee.
“I’m hoping this Google Search leads to Milwaukee jobs,” Barrett said in a prepared statement.
“As a city we’re just the right size for the Google Fiber project, with ample telecom infrastructure, and diverse neighborhoods featuring an array of residential housing styles,”Hines said.
The big effort so far? The city submitted its application for the network on the first day they were accepted. Other cities are doing much more. Topeka, Kansas, changed its name to “Google” for the month of March. Duluth, Minnesota, mayor Don Ness’ efforts included jumping into a cold lake.
From the Associated Press:
Shortly after Google’s announcement, Ness gathered business and technology leaders to discuss the project. The city quickly teamed with neighboring Superior, Wis., and started lining up business support, money and volunteers to help the effort.
They built a testimonial-laden Web site — http://www.googletwinports.com — that includes sections for people to pledge to subscribe as soon as the network is available or to show their interest in working for a “fiber-based business.”
It also includes several videos, including a spoof news conference responding to Topeka’s gigabit gambit. In it, a phony Duluth mayor proclaims that “in order to prevail in the Google pandering arms race,” every first-born child would be named “Google Fiber” or “Google-ette Fiber.”
The campaign’s Facebook page is nearing 10,000 members, and the city and its volunteers are producing a 10-minute YouTube video, to be aired at a rally, about why Google should pick Duluth.
And from Business Week:
The city of Greensboro, N.C., is preparing an “Operation Google” gift package for delivery to Google headquarters and has earmarked $50,000 for promoting a Google broadband effort.
Barrett is urging people to visit the Google website to nominate Milwaukee for the project.
The city’s efforts just don’t seem to be in the same league as its competitors’.