A local initiative is underway to include Des Moines amongst the cities chosen by Google for their Google Fiber for Communities project. This initiative, dubbed DSMfiber, is seeking to gather interested Central Iowans in support of the idea as well as serve as a hub for local information on the project. DSMfiber is available on the web, Twitter and Facebook. To advance their efforts, they would appreciate if all Des Moines-area residents participated in their brief online survey.
Here’s a video from Google explaining the experimental ultra high-speed broadband networks:
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DSMfiber is being organized by John Hilmes, Levi Rosol, Reid Bradley, and others in the area. Levi and John took the time to answer a few questions on the subject this afternoon:
Silicon Prairie News: What is the Google Fiber project and why do you want to bring it to Des Moines?
John Hilmes: As we understand it, the Google Fiber project is Google’s attempt to temporarily inject some competition into the market of internet service providers and prod them to step their game up. They are convinced that existing service is too expensive and that Internet service provider’s are too slow in upgrading their networks. Google is doing this because a well connected populace means increased use of their products.
Levi Rosol: It’s been fairly well documented that Google has had something like this in the works for quite some time. Our research shows that they have been purchasing “dark fiber” since 2005. Although Google has not been very vocal as to why they have acquired so much “dark fiber” over the years, it’s pretty clear with this announcement that they want to put it to use in a way that betters the communities it connects.
I personally want to see this happen in Iowa to further re-enforce the fact that Iowa is not just “the corn state.” We have a very dynamic and technically savvy community, and great strides have been made to showcase this to the country. I hope that a project like this adds to that effort.
SPN: How do you come to the idea of creating DSMfiber.org and what is the plan for that community?
John: My friend and collaborator Reid Bradley and I were Skyping when he sent me the link to the official video (he is in advertising in Chicago and I’m actually doing Interactions Design in Brooklyn). We are both considering moving back at some point to raise families. We’ve enjoyed reading the great press about Des Moines – particularly the revival of Downtown and the East Village, the 80/35 Music Festival and the Pappajohn Sculpture Garden. Given the nature of our jobs, we rely on having access to large amounts of bandwidth, and we can only foresee this demand increasing over time.
Also, the startup culture this kind of infrastructure could foster would be amazing. Apple and Microsoft were started by guys in garages – without fiber-to-the-home connections. We have great public schools. Imagine all the creativity of the young people in Iowa that is just waiting to be unleashed upon the world. “Field of Dreams” should be more than a movie! It should be the Midwest’s response to Silicon Valley. As the saying goes, “If you build it…”
SPN: Are you actually applying to Google on behalf of Des Moines? If not, who is?
John: Word travels fast in a community like Des Moines, and the web compounds this in a great way. Very quickly we were put in touch with the right people in the city government who were responsive to our proposal and got the ball rolling from an official standpoint. They are committed to a submission in time for the March 26 deadline. That said, we would like to encourage all Central Iowans to submit a proposal on behalf of the city, as Google accepts submissions from both governments and citizens.
Levi: Our goal with DSMfiber.org is to help both private and government organizations compile accurate and consistent responses to Google. We are working with various local community groups to help them apply for this as well. In the end we hope that by assisting these groups with networking and resource gathering, the overall response from Iowa will show just how tight-knit we are.
SPN: The application deadline is only a few weeks away, how organized is our community and do you think we stand a chance? When did you guys get started with this?
John: Dsmfiber.org didn’t really come into existence until just this past weekend (Sunday, actually). We snagged the domain and set up the site after we couldn’t find much activity on Google, Twitter or Facebook. Through Nathan T. Wright, Reid and I were put in touch with Levi. We definitely have some catching up to do, but we’re hitting our stride and the team continues to grow. It has been really fun to watch it develop into the movement it continues to become.
While the submissions are due on the 26, we think it’s important to remember that growing support and awareness for the cause can continue past that point. Steadily growing Facebook groups aren’t capped when the deadline hits. We’ve been impressed by the organization and creativity of all the candidate cities, but think we’re going to rally late.
Even if Google doesn’t select Des Moines, we hope to use this as an opportunity to highlight just how far behind we are as a country in developing this sort of infrastructure, and the economic consequences of getting caught up in the short-term thinking that have prevented it from spreading.
SPN: What should Central Iowans do to help the cause?
John: You can help the cause by submitting research, written contributions or other creative materials (YouTube testimonials) on how this experiment will affect your lives and businesses, to team@dsmfiber.org. You can also invite your friends and family to the Facebook group and follow us on Twitter. Through these channels, we hope to assist the City of Des Moines in building a compelling, fact-based proposal.
Levi: In addition to this, we’d love to hear from other groups that are already submitting a proposal, or even groups who are just now hearing about this and want to get involved. If there’s anything that we can do to help you, please contact us at team@dsmfiber.org.
