Why Not Newburyport

To steal from jabbering Red Sox hero Curt Schilling, "Why not us?


Why wouldn't Google want to set up shop here? Why shouldn't it? Honestly, I know we Newburyporters wrestle with a heightened sense of self-importance when it comes to our beloved town. But this place is perfect, exactly the setting Google should desire.


I concede the Webehemoth has been vague on the subject of exactly what it wants in the community (or likely communities) that it selects to run it ultra-high speed broadband networks. The fiber network promises to deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what we typically get.


And what does Google want us to do with this wicked pissa speed? Go here for details, but here's the big three.

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.

New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.

Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way.

I'm not necessarily sure how all that translates into everyday life so let's just tell Google what it will and won't get.


First it won't get stunts. No Google-colored balloon parties. No mayors jumping in lakes, shark tanks or the Merrimack River. We're not lamely changing our city's name to Googleburyport.


Google is getting Ron Martino's classy bit and a clever, humorous video put together by Newburyportbiz.com.


What it would get is a community that gets "it" before most. As Ron pointed out in his video intro, Newburyporters burned tea in a protest that preceded the more famous Boston Tea Party and portended the American Revolution. More recently, as we've discussed extensively here, Newburyporters turned urban development on its ear by restoring their downtown rather than tear the entire place down in favor of a shopping center.


Now, Newburyport is a model for the future of the American workforce. The city is lousy with work-at-homers who chose Newburyport when presented with the opportunity to live anywhere while working remotely.


The talent of this work-at-home bench is deep. Wall Street. State Street. High tech. International companies. All have workers in Newburyport, and they're hopefully setting an example for other companies. Remote workers lower real estate costs, reduce traffic, preserve the environment and create a healthier workforce. Last fall I attended a medical conference in San Francisco. Three of the six or seven reporters in the press room lived in the Newburyport area (and another grew up in West Newbury.)


Google's fiber network would be a huge boon to what's been an natural, organic effort. The first outsider's endorsement of this pursuit came from Steve Karp's purchase of a bulk of the downtown. Karp saw Newburyport as a model for future development, a small scale, walkable community that many builders were trying to replicate at the time (before the real estate bubble collapsed.)


This is Google's opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a model for America's future, which ironically is growing from a community deeply rich in America's past. I'm not sure how Google doesn't select Newburyport.