The state of Hawaiçi said it is making a bid to be part of Google Inc.’s Fiber for Communities project that will provide ultra-fast internet service to areas it selects around the country.

Google plans to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial communities across the country, ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 households.
The state said it is making a collaborative pitch with the City and County of Honolulu, Kauaçi, Maui and Hawaiçi counties for the installation of the fast Internet service.
Google announced in February that it would build and test the networks in a small number of trial locations in an effort to give people speeds that are more than 100 times faster than what they typically receive.
“Hawaiçi and Google are two of the world’s most recognized brand names,” said Gov. Linda Lingle in a statement released to the media.
“A Google ‘Fiber for Communities' ’ project in Hawaiçi will unite these two global brands into an attractive and compelling platform to demonstrate the benefits of ultra-high speed broadband.”
The governor’s office said the partnership will provide Google a “one-stop” interface to facilitate regulatory and permitting requirements and the state and county governments are prepared to provide regulatory relief where possible to facilitate the deployment of an ultra-high speed broadband network.
In addition, the application also calls for partnerships with the public and private sectors of Hawai‘i’s community.
Hawai‘i residents can help bring Google's ultra-high speed project to Hawai‘i through an online community response at www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/ before March 26.
Or people can visit http://techhui.com and click "Become a Fan" at the top of the page to show your support via Facebook. For those not on Facebook, techhui provides an alternate petition site at www.petitionspot.com/petitions/gigabithi.