Lee County, Bonita Springs join race to get Google’s attention

Bonita Springs thought it might be too small for Google.

So the city is hoping Lee County can attract the technology giant’s attention in a bid for its high speed network.

Google officials have said the company will choose one or more communities in which it will install and test a network that could make accessing the Internet 100 times faster — a key for attracting high-tech businesses.

“If you’re having a scientific research base, you need to have that kind of high-speed fiber available to be able to compile a lot of data and transmit it in and out,” said Bonita Springs Councilwoman Martha Simons. “It’s another incentive for people to come to Lee County.”

Google said it would provide service for 50,000 people, possibly up to 500,000.

Bonita, with a population of about 46,000, thought it should tag along with Lee County. The county’s head count is estimated at more than 600,000.

Cities across the country are launching marketing campaigns to drum up support.

Sarasota temporarily renamed its City Island, Google Island. Topeka, Kan., renamed itself Google, Kan.

“We’re not that radical,” said Jim Desjarlais, Lee County’s Information Technology director, who is preparing to throw Lee’s hat in the ring this week.

He can understand the hype.

“When you’re talking 100 times faster,” he said, “it kind of boggles the mind.”

The county’s application will highlight the struggles Lee has faced with the housing bust, and its strengths, including a network of fiber already installed in parts of the county.

Desjarlais said it intends for its application to cover everything in its borders, including incorporated cities like Bonita.

Christine Ross, president and chief executive officer of the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, has said the diversified economy that Southwest Florida is grasping for hinges on bandwidth.

She said the implications are far-reaching, from the medical industry, to entertainment and the classroom.

Ross said doctors will be able to view MRIs as they are happening, graphic designers and videographers could send large video files to clients at unprecedented speeds and teachers could bring interactive classrooms to a new level.

“We’re actually woefully behind in the United States with speeds and coverage,” Ross said. “The opportunity with Google being a potential test site would be a huge cost savings.”

Google’s deadline is March 26 and it will announce its selections later this year.

Desjarlais said with the whole country vying for Google’s attention, Lee County’s chances are slim, though someone has to win.

“Fiber to the home is kind of a dream for everybody, but it’s kind of a ways off,” he said. “But if you get Google behind something like that, who knows.”

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Connect with Tara E. McLaughlin at www.naplesnews.com/staff/tara-mclaughlin/