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In an email sent to constituents today, Ward E councilman Steven Fulop asked Jersey City residents to nominate Chilltown as a test community for an ultra high-speed broadband network being developed by internet giant Google.

Google is looking for cities of 50,000 to 500,000 people in which to test the network, which it hopes will “help make internet access better and faster for everyone.” Google cites the development of new “bandwidth-intensive ‘killer apps’,” new methods for building fiber-optic networks and open access to service providers as possible positive outcomes of experimentation with the new broadband network, which it says could deliver speeds of up to one gigabit per second. According to Google, that’s “more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.”

In a statement issued shortly after his email to constituents went out, Fulop said the Google test could bring “immense benefit” to “the middle and working class communities” of Jersey City.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Jersey City and we cannot let it pass us by,” he said. “Jersey City fits the criteria perfectly.”

Other cities, such as Grand Rapids, Mich., Greensboro, N.C. and Evanston, Ill., have already been making their cases. Google will continue taking applications until March 26 and announce the selected communities later this year.

Some commentators, like Fortune magazine’s Paul Smalera, say that Google’s goal in pushing the new technology is primarily to force internet service providers like Cisco and Verizon to improve the copper-wire and fiber-optic networks that America’s internet runs on, making Google’s job of creating leading-edge applications easier. “The whole point of Google’s ultra-high-speed ‘land-grant’ is to prod Cisco and its ISP customers into making the necessary upgrades to provide better service for not just a few thousand people, but 300 million of them,” Smalera writes.

If you want to see Jersey City selected as part of this program, you can submit a nomination here.

Here is the full text of Fulop’s email:

Dear Jersey City Resident

I am hoping you can help with an application that I believe could be a huge benefit for Jersey City.

Google recently announced a trial program to build and test ultra-high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. Google believes it can deliver Internet speeds of 1 gigabit per second—about 100 times faster than the connections most Americans have access to today. You can read more about the program here http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-big-with-gig-our-experimental.html

Jersey City can’t pass up the chance to submit a strong application for the program. We fit Google’s target population profile (50,000 to 500,000), we are among the most diverse cities in the country, and our proximity to New York can only be a benefit. Just imagine what a program like this can do for our city, on so many fronts touching every neighborhood.

I will work with the administration and council to coordinate a strong application from the city. But the application also has an option for residents, under the heading “Nominate Your Community.” It’s at http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options. This is the type of program we can focus on to help build positive progress, branding, and opportunities for our city in a year that has been more than difficult. I encourage you to take a few moments to fill out the form and help the process.

Hope you are well.

Sincerely,

Steve