Mayor Jim Suttle of Omaha and Mayor Tom Hanafan of Council Bluffs have partnered to respond to a Request for Information (RFI) from Google to bring ultra high-speed internet to the Metro area. The cities are also joined in their response by the City of Carter Lake, to present Google with a regional opportunity to deploy their Fiber project. According to the RFI, the internet speeds would be “100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.”
The effort to partner resulted from a conversation between Mayors Hanafan and Suttle, in which the two agreed that strength could be given to a response if the two cities, along with Carter Lake, were able to partner on the RFI. Both mayors have a shared goal to work together and make decisions that benefit the entire region, making the Google joint response a natural fit.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for Omaha and our entire region to 
benefit from new technology,” Mayor Suttle said. “Bringing Google Fiber to Omaha and Council Bluffs could mean the addition of more Google jobs and the potential to be the first cities nationwide to pilot a brand new Google product.”
“Our regional approach to the RFI will help our cities stand out in what is sure to be a highly competitive selection process,” Mayor Hanafan said. “The benefits of bringing Google Fiber to the Metro area would be significant, providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to have access to the fastest internet speeds available. It would be a great asset to our entire region.”
The mayors have joined forces with both the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce to complete the RFI, while also seeking community support through a nomination process.
The Google Fiber RFI gives residents and community groups the opportunity to go online and nominate their community at: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options. The online form provides an opportunity for individuals to tell Google how they would utilize ultra-high speed internet if the company chose to build the network in their community. The form also encourages respondents to create YouTube videos to support their nomination.
Community support is already building for the project, as the Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/GoogleFiberOmahaCouncilBluffs created on Monday, March 8, had over 1,000 supporters in less than 48 hours.
