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For Immediate Release • April 14, 2010
Staff Contact: Tom Roiniotis, Director of Longmont Power and Communications (LPC), 303-651-8385
View the most recent Press Releases.
APRIL 14, 2010 - Payton Peterson is the winner of Longmont's best Google video contest. He took home a new Apple iPad that he received at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 13. His video was one of five finalists. See the videos.
Students from the St. Vrain Valley School District competed in a contest, sponsored by the school district and Longmont Wi-Fi provider RidgeviewTel, to create a short video on why Google should select Longmont as the location to build their ultra-high-speed broadband fiber network.
With high-speed fiber already in the ground and as one of the few cities in the country with citywide Wi-Fi service, Longmont, Colorado blows away the competition in the Google fiber competition and these student-produced videos count the ways.
While many cities around the country are pleading for Google to come to their communities, Longmont is bragging about its lofty technological perch. Longmont's status as one of the few truly connected cities in Colorado and in the nation, makes it a strong contender in the Google ultra-high speed fiber sweepstakes. See Longmont's Google fiber Web page.
Google recently announced its plans to launch an experiment to make Internet access better and faster for everyone. It plans to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Google promises the networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. It says it will offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people and is asking cities across America to submit an application to become the Google fiber test site.
The key, according to Google, is to find a location where the network can be installed quickly and efficiently - it wants a partner that can offer a minimum of obstacles, cut through bureaucratic red tape and work cooperatively with local community members.
"Longmont owns its own electric utility," said Tom Roiniotis directors of Longmont Power and Communications. "Combine that with our existing 18-mile high-speed fiber ring and our experienced fiber network staff and Longmont can offer Google a quantum head start in developing the system they seek." Read about Longmont's fiber network in the Longmont Times-Call.
Colorado Senate President Brandon Shaffer recently endorsed Longmont as a perfect location for Google's fiber project. In a letter to Google officials, he writes "I believe that Longmont, Colorado, is your best choice to locate and partner with to create the shared vision of providing ultra high-speed broadband to the home." Read President Shaffer's letter to Google.
In addition to its high-tech attributes, Longmont resides in Boulder County, which boasts one of the highest concentration of software employees per-capita in the United States. Longmont also is home to home to high-tech companies like Seagate, Western Digital, Xilinx, Amgen and Google business partner, DigitalGlobe – an industry leader in satellite imagery. Read the reasons why Google should select Longmont to deploy its ultra high speed broadband network.
Google also is looking for a location with favorable climate conditions that would avoid any weather-related delays in building a ultra high-speed fiber network. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year and the semi-arid nature of the Colorado high plains, Longmont offers one of the best climates in the United States.
The five finalists for the iPad were:
1 Payton Peterson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3qxwl4g0ks
2 Scott Hardy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pobubm_m2w
3 Aria Bragalone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3iWkxXv5JQ
4 Paul Schow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS4xJNpytF8
5 Joseph Valencia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GwmyiTyqQY
Located 37 miles north of Denver, Longmont covers 22 square miles and has a population of 86,000 people. The city sits at an elevation of 4,979 feet above sea level with a magnificent view the Rocky Mountains and Longs Peak (a Colorado "fourteener" and Longmont's namesake). With over 1,500 acres of parks and open space, Longmont is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts. Longmont also is home to several high-tech companies and a vibrant restaurant scene. Longmont has twice been named one of Money Magazine's Best Places to Live and one of the National League of Cities (NLC) All-America cities.
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