Updated: Newark named top tech city in state by Google

200
Advertisement

deNewark has been named Delaware’s eCity by technology giant Google.

One city or town was chosen in each of the 50 states, based on  Google’s Ad Words program and how businesses and other organizations use their online presence through their websites, blogs, and social media.

The University of Delaware in Newark has been a leader for at least a decade in moving a once paper-intensive operation online.

Google also mentioned Delaware Technology Park, Newark,  which is managed by the University of Delaware. The park has helped been the home of start-up companies that have created hundreds if not thousands of jobs.

Of late, there have been preliminary  discussions on the city level about high-speed Internet in the city.  The city is served by both Comcast and Verizon FiOS.   broadband systems.

Advertisement

The  City of Newark posted the following on Facebook regarding  the Google designation and broadband efforts:

“We’re always looking to be even more tech savvy. As you may have heard, we are exploring the idea of municipal broadband, both in wired and wireless forms, with the help of a nationally known expert consultant. Thanks to several of our residents for taking the initiative to bring this idea to us for further exploration,”

“Regardless of the outcome of that study, we are always working to leverage technology to improve our service delivery. Whether it’s our smart utility meters that improve data quality and collection efficiency or better software that streamlines our operations, or better wiring between our buildings and connections to our vehicles to keep each employee as productive as possible, we are proud that our tech investments have paid off.”

The state of Delaware also ranks near the top in the speed of its broadband service, thanks in part to competition between Comcast and Verizon and efforts at the state and local level to bring broadband into rural areas.

That is not the case in Wilmington, where demands by the city for service concessions led Verizon to drop efforts to compete with Comcast in the municipality.

Bear was named Delaware’s eCity in late 2013.

Named the top eCity in Maryland is Ocean City, which borders Delaware, with Erie PA and Fairfield NJ ranked at the top in adjacent states.

Google does not have employment centers in Delaware or the Delaware Valley.

The company has slowly rolled out fiber-optic Internet systems in partnerships with communities  but has typically stayed away from large metropolitan areas.

However, Google and its holding company Alphabet are incorporated in Delaware, Technical.ly Delaware noted, thanks to a sophisticated  corporate legal system that makes such combinations possible.  Incorporation also brings modest fees to the state.

Click on the link below to find the top eCity in each of the 50 states.

https://www.google.com/economicimpact/ecities.html

 

Advertisement
Advertisement