In the land of trust fund kids and a rather large number of medical marijuana dispensaries, maybe the prospect of Google Fiber is no big deal. Let’s face it; we’re certainly an active and educated bunch, so why the big deal over Google Fiber, right? Wrong. Believe it or not, there are people without broadband right now, right here in our beautiful, affluent city. There are schools, nonprofits and even needy citizens that could really benefit from this kind of technology. Consider just these three things having this kind of technology could do for our city:

• Schools and libraries could put curriculum, books, and training materials online, even offer classes online in real-time, saving in the expense of these resources
• Hospitals, clinics, and veterinarians could easily share complex medical information and charts more quickly and collaborate like never before
• Nonprofits could train their volunteer base remotely and even seamlessly conduct fund-raising events online

There are countless other ways this initiative could benefit our city. Voting only takes a minute and you’ll be strengthening your community by doing so. Google has said that one or “more” cities could be chosen, and with the strong technology and startup infrastructure that already exists here, Boulder is a naturally awesome fit.

Oh and while some may criticize municipalities for “getting in bed with the big, bad wolf”, I counter that nothing could be better for a community or other businesses than some strong competition. Google might be the first to offer this kind of initiative, but they shouldn’t be the last. Competition is created one company throws the gauntlet and others respond in kind.