Tag Archives: Google

Peoria Mayor

Will Ardis have more success with Google than AC/DC?

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A friend of mine recently mentioned to me that this whole Google initiative isn’t the first time Mayor Ardis has tried to lure a national act to Peoria. Just last year, he tried to get the band AC/DC to make a tour stop here. Here’s what the Journal Star had to say back on January 11, 2009:

Peoria radio station WIXO-FM organized the rally in hopes of catching the attention of the band, which has not performed in Peoria since 1983. … A video of the event, along with the petition, will be sent Monday to AC/DC. … Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis appeared on stage at the rally. He told AC/DC fans after the band sees the video, it will have no choice but to come back. Ardis had appeared on The X’s morning show and assured listeners AC/DC is welcome. “It would be great for Peoria,” Ardis said.

On October 22, the Journal Star followed up: “The fans were fervent, as the rockers hadn’t played in Peoria since 1983. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ll be making a stop in P-town anytime soon.”

Granted, the city didn’t have an airplane fly a sky banner over the band asking, “Will AC/DC play in Peoria?” like the City did for Google. So let’s hope the Mayor has better luck this time.

City of Peoria, Internet, Peoria County

Peoria to try to woo Google

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From a press release:

Mayor Jim Ardis will hold a news conference on February 23, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. The news conference will be held at the PeoriaNEXT Innovation Center (801 W. Main Street, Peoria). The Mayor will be joined by community leaders to discuss our efforts to submit an application to become a test market for Google.

County Board member Merle Widmer has some additional information on his blog, including an e-mail from Mayor Ardis:

As you may have recently seen, Google announced an effort to bring 1GB Internet service to a test market somewhere in the United States. This would be a phenomenal service that would deliver speed up to 100x faster than the best current system available. The impact on economic development will be enormous.

You might also have seen me talk about the importance of this opportunity to Peoria. The City of Peoria has started an application and has now joined the County of Peoria in working collaboratively.

You can read the rest at Merle’s blog, but you get the idea. Here’s some more information on Google’s effort from their official blog.

Television

Group suggests killing OTA television

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A think tank called the New America Foundation made a radical suggestion at a conference held at Google’s headquarters in California: kill over-the-air television.

…Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, said we should “take TV off the air” in a few years and replace it entirely with cable, satellite and Internet viewing.

“All channels should be available by broadband, with the government possibly subsidizing cable and satellite providers to deliver free Lifeline service,” Calabrese said.

The major networks and National Association of Broadcasters were not amused. They immediately wrote the FCC, urging them to “protect the public’s free, over-the-air broadcasting service.”