The City of Morgantown has launched a public educational and support campaign entitled, “We Want A Gig,” in order to provide nomination tools and news alerts surrounding our efforts. Regardless of selection for this experimental effort, Morgantown recognized the importance of high-speed Internet access for our community and plans to continue to use our website (wewantagig.com) to educate our community on the importance of broadband access to the City of Morgantown. 

Through our site and social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, we have engaged particular audience segments to support the Morgantown-Google project. Our Facebook site, as the longest running tool used to gauge community interest, has had some terrific discussions on the implications of this project for Morgantown’s community.

Our application to Google has been presented and discussed in every City Council meeting since the release of Google’s intent and has been very positively received and enthusiastically supported throughout the process. Also, Morgantown’s Neighborhood Coordinating Council, a monthly gathering of neighborhood associations throughout the City, has discussed the Google initiative and Morgantown’s intent to apply. All neighborhoods were enthusiastically in favor of the Fiber for Communities program and potential high-speed service to their residents.

If selected, Morgantown will continue to conduct outreach to community members through public forums, town hall meetings and established social channels to gauge interaction, build support and solicit assistance on Google’s experiment.

As a key member of our community, WVU has pledged financial support for the project and will continue to provide assistance in acquiring high-speed Internet for the City. The City itself has committed to raising $1 million in funds to provide computers in low-income/high-need homes.

Although this application process will end, we have been enlightened to the value of community outreach surrounding the Internet future in Morgantown. We see the tools established as part of this application process as key initiatives to interact with our community and build support for this project, but also for ongoing outreach and education to community members. Regardless of selection, Morgantown intends to formulate a High-Speed Internet Advisory Board to continue community education, outreach and City pursuit of high-speed Internet for our citizens.

One important factor we have noticed in our community outreach efforts is the need for education about what high-speed Internet means to the Morgantown resident. Once educated, residents and businesses are very supportive and enthusiastic about Google’s project. This is why the City of Morgantown feels it is important to continue these outreach efforts beyond Google’s application date.

We have received support outside of Morgantown, too. West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, State Senator Brooks McCabe and U.S. Senator John D. Rockefeller IV have endorsed the Morgantown project on a state level. Ray Lane, Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, submitted a video of support for Morgantown’s Google application. As a WVU alumni and valued member of our Morgantown network, Mr. Lane understands the potential the City retains, unleashed by adding high-speed Internet.

Morgantown is enthusiastic and optimistic. Backed by West Virginia University and its community, as well as the businesses and residents of the City, we are confident that Google’s experiment will not only succeed in Morgantown, but it will be a model project for replication across the country.