“We recently did a very heavy, public campaign to try and get people in support of the project,” Smith said. “We have a lot of private and public enterprises in support of the project and a very extensive network in the campaign.”

Included in the promotion campaign is an extensive website — Gl4g.com — with videos and letters of support from local leaders and government resolutions.

Google accepted submissions and applications until March 26 for test communities ranging from 50,000 and 500,000 people, a range the collective group of East Lansing, Lansing, Delta Township and Meridian Township fall into.

The project, slated to announce a winner at an indeterminate time later this year, will offer Internet speeds of more than one gigabit per second — about 100 times faster than a standard connection.

When the area initially applied for the project, MSU was not yet on board, but the campaign since has included the university, Smith said.

The college population and already established technology sector — with the Technology Innovation Center, 325 E. Grand River Ave. ­— could help draw the project to the area, East Lansing City Councilmember Nathan Triplett said.

“I think East Lansing worked very hard to establish a technology sector here to provide new job opportunities and being a test site for technology of this kind would be a tremendous asset for this area,” Triplett said.

“College students are a population that does a lot of work on the Internet and makes us an attractive location for it.”

If East Lansing were to acquire the program, students would be more likely to stay, said Tremaine Phillips, a member of Accelerate Lansing , a group that aims to revitalize and enrich the Lansing region.

“It’s a technology that can lift up people and allow them to access the Internet in a way never thought possible before,” Phillips said.

“I’ve already talked to several students and saying if the opportunity comes into the area, they will be more inclined to stay here.”

“I live over in University Village and normally (Internet is) pretty quick,” he said. “But there are some times where it’s lagging. It would probably make quite a few students stay here, I know I would.”
If selected, the Lansing area would benefit in several areas, Smith said.

“This is a semi-international campaign, my guess is the global recognition would be great,” he said.

“The more obvious though, is the connection would allow us to expand greatly in the breadth of Google’s programs.”

Google isn’t scheduled to make a decision, but wants to invest later this year and is in the process of evaluating the contestants. East Lansing’s campaign has reached out to Google, but has yet to hear anything from the company, Smith said.