02/20/14
Nashville selected as one of nine finalists for Google’s new fiber gigabit service
Last fall, Nashville was named by Google as one of seven inaugural cities to participate in its Google for Entrepreneurs Tech Hub Network, a new venture the tech giant launched to better connect emerging local tech scenes across the country with each other and with resources at Google. Wednesday’s announcement that Nashville is one of nine finalists for Google's new fiber gigabit service is an affirmation of Nashville's rise as an "IT" city. Google expects to announce which cities move forward with fiber plans later this year.
As the state broadband initiative, Connected Tennessee applauds all efforts to expand and improve high-speed Internet services in our state. Tennessee was home to North America’s 1st Gigabit fiber network in Chattanooga and the announcement of plans to bring Google Fiber to Nashville only affirms our position as a leader for innovation enabled by robust connectivity.
Ultra high-speed broadband networks like Google Fiber can serve as a backbone for continued economic competitiveness, improved educational opportunities, access to higher-quality healthcare and more. It is important to recognize, however, that many (32%) of our fellow Tennesseans remain on the wrong side of the digital divide, primarily due to barriers other than access (leading barriers to broadband adoption include cost, the lack of digital skills and the lack of perceived benefits of broadband).
To fully leverage network investments by Google or our existing service providers, we must focus on cultivating a tech-savvy workforce through increased technology integration in our schools, by addressing the digital skills shortcomings of our unemployed and underemployed adults and through efforts like the Nashville Technology Council’s “T3” and “Work IT” initiatives.
Connected Tennessee looks forward to working with state and local leaders, public and private partners, existing technology providers, and Google Fiber to continue advancing the technology landscape in Nashville and across Tennessee.