In Pittsburgh on Friday, people wearing Steelers yellow-and-black held up signs that spelled out "Google" for a photo op.
In Sarasota, Fla., the mayor jumped into a shark tank to try to get the attention of the Internet search engine giant. And the mayor of Duluth, Minn., jumped into the icy waters of Lake Superior.
In Lancaster, they just sent in the application.
"We're confident in the merits of our application," said Pat Brogan, chief of staff to Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray.
Lancaster was among 1,100 cities nationwide that submitted applications to the Walnut View, Calif., company asking to be selected for an ultra-high-speed Internet pilot program.
Google announced last month that it would select one or more communities with populations of 50,000-500,000 to receive one-gigabit-per-second broadband fiber optic service. That investment could be worth as much as $1 billion, some press reports have said.
The resulting service, which the company promises to offer at rates competitive with existing broadband service, would be more than 100 times faster than the fastest Internet service commonly available.
Such broadband service would allow students to be online with classmates around the world while simultaneously watching a 3-D video of a university lecture. It would allow feature-length movies to be downloaded within a few minutes. And, ultimately, it would spark innovation that is not yet even conceived of, the company hopes.
Gray announced at Tuesday night's City Council meeting that Lancaster had submitted the online application. The application was submitted in conjunction with Franklin & Marshall College and the Lancaster Community Safety Coalition, Gray said.
Brogan said the application asked about infrastructure available in the city, climate conditions and the permitting that would be necessary for the project.
"What they're looking for is a city that would be the least cumbersome to do this," Brogan said of creating the network.
Gray said he believes Lancaster has at least as good an opportunity as the other applicants.
Brogan said that if Lancaster is selected, it would not run afoul of the state Telecommunications Act. That law prohibits cities from establishing municipal broadband networks except if existing providers indicate they have no immediate plans to offer similar services.
She said the city already has a letter from Verizon clearing the way for the Google application.
Google is expected to announce the selected cities by the end of the year.
Also, on Tuesday:
• City Council members unanimously approved the establishment of a seven-member Public Art Advisory Board that would review and oversee public art projects across the city.
• Council members voted to amend the vendor and peddler licensing ordinance to shift licensing responsibilities from the city's Economic Development & Neighborhood Revitalization department to the Police Bureau.
The move would allow the police to do background checks on people applying for the licenses as a public safety measure.
• Gray announced a series of public meetings at different locations in the city in coming weeks.
Those meeting dates and locations are: Tuesday, April 6, at Price Elementary School, 615 Fairview Ave.; Thursday, April 8, at John Reynolds Middle School, 605 W. Walnut St.; Wednesday, April 14, at Community United Methodist Church, 130 Tennyson Drive; Monday, April 19, at Hand Middle School, 431 S. Ann St.; and Wednesday, April 21, at McCaskey East High School, 1051 Lehigh Ave.
All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
• Gray also announced that between 40 and 50 pinwheels will be placed in flower beds in Binns Park by the county's Children & Youth office and the Community Action Program from April 7-30 to mark National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
• And Gray said city police Chief Keith Sadler and Administrative Services Director Patrick Hopkins are part of a 23-member team who will have their heads shaved April 10 at Annie Bailey's pub as part of a fundraising event. The team hopes to raise $10,000 for research to combat childhood cancer.