City's case for Google broadband

Columbia and about 1,100 other U.S. cities scrambled to impress Google after the company pledged to build a super-fast broadband network for free in a few test cities.
Google’s Request for Information sent in February also prompted some bizarre stunts from elected officials to help their chances of luring a free network that would increase Internet speed 100-fold. Topeka changed its name to Google for a day, one mayor in Minnesota jumped into ice-cold Lake Superior to get the company’s attention and another in Florida jumped into a pool full of sharks.
Columbia’s stunt was a “flash mob” involving residents recruited through Facebook, Twitter and other means who got fans to hold up thousands of Google signs during the Missouri-Kansas basketball game on March 6. Although Columbia’s effort wasn’t as flashy as some, Google will ultimately select a city or cities based on how they would use the network and demonstrate its benefits.
Showboating aside, cities had to fill out a formal questionnaire highlighting what the network could do to boost the productivity and capabilities of businesses, government and educational institutions. Columbia officially sent its response to Google March 26, and MU’s Reynolds Journalism Institute has penned its own report on why Columbia deserves faster Internet. Google plans to send representatives to cities after the choices are narrowed down and pick the target community or communities by the end of the year.

Here’s a look at who might benefit from the network:
RJI report
The report lists four areas where Google will be able to see the clearest benefits of its fiber system: telehealth, education, civic involvement and business/customer relationships. Columbia, the report states, has a history of getting businesses and citizens online; the report cites the Columbia Online Information Network, launched in 1993, as an example. That initiative, launched by MU, the city, Daniel Boone Regional Library and Columbia Public Schools, was one of the first community information networks in the country and the only Internet access provider for the general public in mid-Missouri. It also lists eMints.org, which provides multimedia technology to thousands of students across the state.
Telehealth:
• According to the report, one in five employees in Columbia works in a health-related profession, so the opportunities for health services are vast.
• TigerPlace, an assisted-living facility partnered with MU, is researching sensor technology that allows more effective monitoring of elderly residents and lets nursing professionals provide more preventive care.
• HomeLinkNews, another MU project that will build off of TigerPlace research, would provide targeted news stories to seniors focused on healthier living. A faster broadband network would increase the capabilities of these initiatives.
• HomePsych by Iconic health is a program that links patients to mental health care professionals so they can consult via the Internet.
• The Missouri Telehealth Network is a project that seeks to expand health care opportunities in underserved regions. A better network would aid the project as well as help clinicians wanting to research telehealth.
• The MU Nutritional Center for Health is an MU project designed to teach people healthy eating habits as well as give researchers a place to study eating habits. The Google network could increase the program’s educational outreach and opportunities.
Education:
• iSocial is an interactive learning environment designed to help children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders learn in a virtual environment that allows social participation.
• MBS Textbook Exchange could expand its eBook and other digital learning materials and programs.
Civic engagement
• The Missouri School of Journalism’s commitment to studying the future of journalism would be further enhanced with a stronger Internet network.
• Columbia city government, which already has online initiatives such as Webcasting City Council meetings, would have even more opportunities, and citizens would be better able to connect online.
Businesses:
• MediateMe LLC is a dispute resolution firm that offers online consultations with mediators and interested parties around the country.
• Miller’s Professional Imaging is the largest digital imaging lab for professional photographers in the country.
• Newsy.com is an online video news aggregator.
• Foliotek is an electronic portfolio system designed for college students and educators.
• Because Columbia is not near a data center, software companies such as Telematter.com have to pay high server costs in “remote locations outside of their control. Using a local connection would enable them to host their own hardware, significantly reducing their costs.”
City response:
Alongside the demographic and geographic information supplied by the city, the formal submission also noted some key opportunities for the Google network.
• GetAbout Columbia could be supplemented with “work-at-home” initiatives made possible by the Google fiber.
• An interim taskforce has been created to study how the city can make a fiber network available to homes and businesses, and a permanent taskforce will be created regardless of Google’s decision.
• High-tech and online companies such as Datastorm, CarFax and ABC Labs will benefit.
• Groups such as CoMoFiber and student organizations have already coalesced around the effort to draw Google here.