Earlier today, Google announced via their blog that Chicago and Los Angeles are now being considered as the company looks to expand their high speed Internet service.
Citing the growing Chicago tech community as one of the reasons for consideration (with a shoutout to 1871 and Chicago Ventures), Google and Mayor Rahm Emanuel both believe widespread access to fiber Internet will help bolster job growth.
Jill Szuchmacher, Director of Google Fiber Expansion writes, “While we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to bring Fiber to Chicago and L.A., this is a big step for these cities and their leaders. Planning for a project of this size is a huge undertaking, but we’ll be sure to keep residents updated along the way.” (Chicago residents can sign up for updates as the project progresses.)
While Chicago has done a great deal to help grow and support the tech community, there have also been a fair share of missteps (remember the “cloud tax” debacle?). Here’s to hoping Google and the city can work it out so this can become a win, and not a what-could-have-been.