Portland battles to win fastest Internet around
PORTLAND, Ore. - Every city in the country wants it, including Vancouver, but Portland says it should be the first to get Google’s new high-speed fiber network.
Google says its new fiber optic network will be 100 times faster than Internet speeds now, and it says it will also be cheaper.
Here in the United States, speeds are embarrassing compared to speeds in other parts of the world. For example, uploading a high-definition video here takes about 2 ½ hours. In Japan, it can be done in 12 minutes.
With Google’s new Internet, it would take five minutes.
Some city officials in other parts of the country have pulled off some extreme stunts to lure Google to their town: A mayor in Minnesota jumped in a freezing lake and another named his town Google for the month.
While Portland plans to impress Google with a little flash, it also hopes to back up its bid with substance as well.
The city is already known as the “Silicon Forest” and with high unemployment there’s a lot of talent here that’s ready to innovate. The city was also the first to say the Internet is a right the government should provide.
It also has a history of trying to offer free Internet with the WiFi Cloud.
And while close to Google’s headquarters, Portland’s still far enough away to make the beta-test work.
“You can grow your existing companies, attract new companies and harness the power of your creative community when these speeds, these platforms are available, which they are not right now,” said David Olson, Portland cable director.
With the faster speed, Portlanders will be able to download an entire HD movie in five minutes, 3D video of Google street maps, or a medical clinic could send 3D images to a specialist across the country for an immediate diagnosis.
For the flash, on Saturday morning the city is hosting the world’s longest game of “Telephone”, which is the game were participants whisper a secret into someone’s ear and then they pass it down the line. Organizers plan to stretch it over two bridges and end at Pioneer Courthouse Square where Mayor Sam Adams will deliver the garbled message.
The event starts tomorrow morning on the east side of the Steel Bridge at 9:30 a.m. and organizers say they need 700 people
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