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Chico Has Hopes to be Google Test Site - from Chico Enterprise Record

By LAURA URSENY - Staff Writer Posted: 02/26/2010 12:10:54 AM PST

CHICO — For once, some of Chico's disadvantages could play in its favor and rocket the community further into innovation. It's all about Google's "Fiber for Communities" program. Based in Mountain View, search engine giant Google is proposing to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a handful of communities it chooses.

"Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone," states Google's Web site on the project.

Google will radically increase the bandwidth, providing Internet access and capabilities at 1 gigabite per second. The higher speeds allow more Internet capabilities that drive innovation.

"That's about 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today," said Bob Linscheid of Chico Economic Planning Corp., one of the entities working toward the nomination of Chico, along with the city and other economic development entities.

Chico as a community will be putting in the application, but supportive nominations of Chico from those other than government are encouraged. Chico City Manager Dave Burkland said Chico would be an ideal test site for Google, adding the impacts of the project would greatly benefit the city's business, education and government sectors.

"It would be a great thing for Chico," Burkland said.The announcement about the communities will occur this year, but there's no indication when infrastructure construction could start.

CEPCO's Tech Group is heading the effort.

"This program will be 'game changing' for the selected communities," Linscheid said.

"Our current bandwidth availability and costs put us at a distinct disadvantage to metro areas and even other rural communities, where Internet bandwidth is cheap and readily available at very high speeds."

Google wants communities to make their cases and then it will choose. The public is invited to nominate as well by going to www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi before March 26. Nominators have to create a Google account.

Locals think Chico has a good chance.

"I think we have an excellent chance," said Linscheid, citing local innovation, Internet retailers, dedication totechnology and the drive to boost the economy.

Besides filling a deficiency, Google would also learn what Internet and innovation companies can do with the technology. Not only would the opportunity allow Google to "experiment" with high-speed technology, it would counter Chico's rural nature, which can be a disadvantage as well as an asset.

Playing in Chico's favor in the quest are its 25,000 college students and their hunger for Internet capabilities, the innovative local companies such as those delving into laser technology and biomedical research, and businesses that thrive on the Internet.

Innovation from departments like mechanical engineering and mechatronics, communications, construction management and computer science "could provide countless angles of innovation for Google's research given the opportunity," Linscheid said, adding that he hears complaints about speed from businesses regularly.

"Unleashing their potential with ultra-high speed connectivity could be a veritable gold mine of data for Google," said Linscheid, who thinks Google is also taking aim at Internet competitors.

Chico's nature as a hub in a rural area means that it can provide field testing for Google's developments.

States Google on its Web site, "We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive 'killer apps' and services or other uses we can't yet imagine." Once built, the network gives users the choice of multiple service providers at what Google calls undefined but "competitive" prices.

Responses will be evaluated and ranked by a Google selection team, and Google will conduct site visits and meet with local officials before announcing a decision. Says Google about choosing communities, "We also want to work with a community where we can bring significant benefits to residents and develop useful proofs-of-concept that can have a broader impact."

Others involved in the project include Chico Unified School District, Chico Chamber of Commerce, Chico State's Associated Students, Butte County, Northern Rural Training Employment Consortium, Butte County Economic Development Corp., and the Chico State Center for Economic Development.

"We need critical mass. We're convinced Chico is a logical place for this to be," said Linscheid, who's collecting ideas for making Chico's case via e-mail at bob@wemanage.org with "Google fiber" in the subject line.

Linscheid said Redding is also applying.

Staff writer Laura Urseny can be reached at 896-7756 or lurseny@chicoer.com.

BACKGROUND: Internet giant Google is looking for a few communities to test its new high-speed broadband technology.

WHAT'S NEW: Chico will apply to be one of the test sites, hoping to benefit residents, businesses and education.

WHAT'S NEXT: Nominations in Chico's favor are being encouraged at www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi.

CEPCO Spearheads Initiative to Bring Google Fiber Ultra-High Speed Internet to Chico

CEPCO is coordinating an initiative to nominate the City of Chico as a candidate for Google’s ultra high speed internet development project “Google Fiber for Communities.” The possible abilities of this cutting-edge technology include streaming three-dimensional medical imaging over the internet in our local hospitals of clinics, the capacity to download an HD feature film in less than five minutes, and bringing live 3D video of a university lecture while collaborating with students from around the world. The possibilities are limitless given the radically increased bandwidth this project would deploy: 1 gigabit per second, about 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.

The Google Fiber for Communities Project is an opportunity for Google to drive innovation in a number of sectors. Google’s primary objective is to experiment with new ways to help make internet access better and faster for everyone. Google is eager to see what developers and users can do with ultra-high speeds. This service should enable designers and users to create applications previously unimaginable due to bandwidth limitations. Equally as exciting are the possibilities for use in ways Google cannot yet envision, as no large scale deployment of this bandwidth in a public space has ever occurred.

Google will also be testing new ways to build fiber networks, to further improve their service and infrastructure capacities. The network build by this project will be “open access”, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. Like Google’s other projects, notably their famous WiFi success in Mountain View, this will be managed in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent manner.

The possibility of Chico being involved in Google’s next “experiment” in internet technology is tremendously exciting. To nominate our community for this new technology initiative, use the following link: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

Check out some of CEPCO's brain storming for "Making the Case for Chico" here and start thinking of ways to bring Google to Chico as well as how Chico can benefit from it.

CEPCO President/CEO Bob Linscheid named Vice Chairman of CSU Board of Trustees

By LARRY MITCHELL - Chico Enterprise Record Staff Writer
LONG BEACH — Bob Linscheid of Chico was named vice chairman of the California State University Board of Trustees Wednesday. His selection came at a meeting of the board in Long Beach. "I appreciate the acknowledgment of my colleagues," Linscheid, a Chico businessman, said in a phone interview Thursday. He is presumably in line to become chairman of the board at some point. Normally, when a chairman's term is up, he or she is succeeded by the vice chair. In November, Herbert Carter, who was vice chair of the board, became chairman after then-chairman Jeffrey Bleich was appointed ambassador to Australia by President Obama.

Linscheid has served on the Board of Trustees since 2005. Before that, he served on the CSU Alumni Council, representing Chico State University. The council promotes alumni interests and the CSU generally. It elects one member to the Board of Trustees, and Linscheid is that member. As vice-chairman, Linscheid said he plans to continue regularly visiting the various CSU campuses, something he has done during his tenure as a trustee. The purpose of those visits is to assure the campuses that "we have a board that cares about our students, staff and faculty," he said. Linscheid said he appreciates the governor's promise to direct more resources to higher education. "We need to get the investment in education, or the state will be in a deplorable condition," he said.

Linscheid earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Chico State, and he went to John F. Kennedy School of Law from 1982 to 1983. Since 1993, he has been president of The Linscheid Company, Inc. Among other things, he has been president of the Western Baseball League, general manager of the Chico Outlaws and president and CEO of the Chico Economic Planning Corp.

President Zingg addresses CEPCO Board of Directors to kick-off 2010

Chico State President Paul Zingg braved inclement weather and power outages to address the CEPCO Board of Directors on Thursday morning over breakfast at Mom’s Restaurant. Dr. Zingg pulled no punches as he described the difficulties facing CSU Chico campus community in 2010 and beyond, yet he was cautiously optimistic regarding the Governor’s renewed commitment to funding higher education.

President Zingg has championed an effort to reduce Chico’s responsibility to cut enrollment as mandated by the CSU Chancellor’s Office. While obligated to respect system-wide strategies, President Zingg has repeatedly pointed out that for communities in which student represent a significant portion of a population’s spending power, like Chico, the proposed 9.5 % system-wide enrollment cut would have a devastating economic effect. Zingg successfully petitioned the Chancellor’s office to lower the enrollment decrease for Chico State to 8%, which while not the decrease he had hoped for, represents an acknowledgement of the plight of smaller communities like Chico by the CSU System. The enrollment reduction means approximately 1,650 fewer Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) students at Chico State, representing an estimated $80 million loss of spending in Chico. Enrollment reductions frequently operate on a cyclical basis, and President Zingg forecasts that by Spring of 2011 the CSU system could be growing enrollment once more.

The CSU system is in a state of flux—“the promise of the Master Plan,” in the words of President Zingg, “has eroded.” While the governor has committed to funding higher education with a greater percentage of the budget than the state allots to prisons, the master plan of the university is being challenged by California’s ongoing budgetary difficulties. California’s forecast is that the state will need 40,000-60,000 more workers with a college degree every year in the near future, placing immediate emphasis on reforming the CSU system to accommodate state public and private needs. President Zingg believes that California, outside of economic recovery, needs to “recover the will” to take action. The state is currently funding two-thirds of the cost of education for a CSU student, while students cover the other one-third through student fees which have increased by 105% since 2000. The State of California’s commitment to higher education has dropped by 28% over that same period of time. President Zingg believes that in the coming years the ratio of state to student funding will be much closer to 50-50. All in all, Dr. Zingg holds that the “landscape has changed significantly” for the promise of available higher education to all qualified students in California.

As far as developments on the Chico State campus specifically, furloughs have resulted in $8 million in unspent “savings.” While no one has technically been laid off at Chico State, there have been some who have not seen their contracts renewed. President Zingg is hopeful there will be no official layoffs, but warned that changes may be rapid and forced, as “we have moved beyond the history and tradition of reliable state support.” Dr. Zingg thanked the members of the Board for their support in his efforts to minimize the impact of state-wide enrollment cuts on Chico. He also encouraged local companies to extensively explore internship opportunities with students, acknowledging that while local employers want to hire students, there is currently a surplus of well-qualified applicants in the job market. Chico State takes its role as a comprehensive university very seriously. President Zingg believes this makes Chico a vital piece of California’s need to combat an “erosion of hope,” which could overwhelm future students. Chico State strives to create the trained workforce as well as the engaged citizenry California needs to “not just recover, but to prosper.”

CEPCO's 25th Anniversary a Success

CEPCO held its annual dinner on Thursday, October 29th. We're pleased to announce our award winners:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Emmett Skinner
Sponsored by Grancell, Lebovits, Stander, Reubens and Thomas

Community Service Award: Rebuild Concow Project
Sponsored by Conroy Construction and Modern Building

Job Creation Award: Jeff Collins, Cascade Orthopedic Supply
Sponsored by Recology

Excellence in Agri-Business: Lundberg Family Farms
Sponsored by Chico Electric

Excellence in Technology and Inovation: Improvement Direct
Sponsored by Stewart, Humphrey's, Burchett, and Molin LLP.

Excellence in Sustainability: Dr. Scott McNall
Sponsored by PG&E

Entrepreneur of the Year: John Strisower
Sponsored by the Law Offices of Aaron J. Stewart

Excellence in Art and Entertainment: Sierra Oro Farm Trail 
Sponsored by the Mechoopda Tribe

Excellence in Healthcare: Blood Source
Sponsored by Enloe Medical Center

Excellence in Education: Moaty Fayek, Curt DeBerg, and James O'Bannon
Sponsored by the California Faculty Association

GLOBIE Awards - Businesses to Watch: Photometics, A Main Hobbies, Pro Pacific Fresh, and Moby Wrap
Sponsored by Golden Capital Network and Wavepoint Ventures

The Chairman's Award: Julia Sabin, Smucker Quality Beverage
Sponsored by CEPCO

Thank You all for making our event a success!

Photos from the 2009 CEPCO Excellence in Business awards can be found by clicking here

Talent Mobilization Approval

The CEPCO Talent Mobilization Strategy was finalized on June 4 at the CEPCO Board meeting. The final document can be found by clicking here . Questions can be e-mailed to bob@wemanage.org.

Keep up with Enloe's Century Project

Big things are happening at Enloe Medical Center's Esplanade campus and the organization has a Web site devoted to keeping the public up to date with the planned expansion. The Century Project consists of a five-story patient tower; a single-story surgery center and emergency center; a parking structure and a park.

Enloe has multiple pages designed to keep the public up to date with the progress of the Century Project, plus slideshows on the Enloe site. Links include: Construction progress (click here ), frequently asked questions (click here) and neighborhood updates (click here).

Stay tuned to cepco.com and enloe.org to keep up with this exciting expansion for Chico's major healthcare provider.

What is Chico Economic Planning Corporation (CEPCO)?

CEPCO is a privately funded organization incorporated July 1, 1985, and is comprised of local business people working together to ensure Chico’s economic strength and vitality.

CEPCO’s Mission and Goals

The primary goal of CEPCO is to create new jobs and new wealth for the Chico community by aiding in the retention and expansion of existing businesses, providing local residents employment, and attracting new businesses to the area.

We believe that economic development is one of our most important community services, and a crucial function that provides the kind of boost that keeps our economy strong and allows us to maintain a high quality of life.

CEPCO works with other visionary business and community leaders, including the City of Chico, Greater Chico Chamber of Commerce, Butte Community College, CSU, Chico, Tri-County Economic Development Corporation, and Butte County Economic Development Corporation, to accomplish these goals.

See the mission statements for some of our programs and task forces, listed below:

Come Home to Chico

MISSION:

To capitalize on the affinity that Chico State Alumni have for the campus and to provide jobs, opportunities to return to Chico for visits, investment and business start-up opportunities.

The Chico Economic Development Corp. (CEPCO) is spearheading the "Come Home to Chico" effort. Perhaps some of those alumni might be in a position to bring a company back to Chico, providing jobs for other citizens here. That theory is behind a new economic development campaign for Chico that is looking to capture talented individuals interested in living somewhere they love.

Finding talented employees is a "major issue" for businesses. Employers have communicated to CEPCO they need employees to do specific kinds of jobs. They're not always finding those employees readily.

To read more about the program, click here.

Testimonial Form

CEPCO's Talent Mobilization Committee

MISSION :

Working to train and retain the emerging workforce.

COMMUNITY VISION :

Chico is a vibrant community surrounded by natural beauty that is characterized by welcome neighborhoods and a sense of individual belonging that embraces the heritage and natural beauty of the region and values its sense of place with developing partnerships of citizens, business and educational communities striving for economic prosperity of its people that encourages active public involvement.

GOALS:

The goals of the task force are to improve workforce preparation by strengthening the partnerships between industry and education, public agencies and community-based organizations and advocating for the following initiatives, which can be viewed by clicking here.

CEPCO's Job Creation Committee 2008 - 2010

MISSION :

The mission of the Chico Economic Planning Corporation (CEPCO) is to provide advocacy on public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in the Chico region.

CEPCO’s primary functions are:

• Advocacy on Public Policy Issues
• Leadership for Countywide Prosperity
• Education and Networking Opportunities for all CEPCO Members

CEPCO educates its members and the public through thoughtful development of positions on public policy issues that affect the economy and quality of life in Butte County. CEPCO will rely heavily on its appointed Task Forces to identify issues and then develop sound positions for the Board of Directors to consider for official advocacy.

For more information on CEPCO's task forces click here.

Thank you Members for your continued support!

CEPCO would like to thank the following organizations for renewing their memberships:

Lando & Associates

Mechoopda Indian Tribe

Hotel Diamond

Network Innovation

Pacific Gas & Electric

Valley Contractors Exchange

McClelland Air

Slater and Son

Matson & Isom Technology Consulting

Wavepoint Ventures

Fred Davis & Associates

Modern Building Co.

RUSH Personnel Services

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Harrison-Dailey-Wright Accountancy Corp.

Chico Nut

USTC (United States Technological Consortium)

Lares Research

Cascade Orthopedic Supply

The Group Real Estate

Lifetouch National School Studios

Chico Enterprise Record

Renewable Energy in Butte County

With its numerous Renewable Energy systems, including the world's largest private hydrogen fuel cell system, as well as the nation's fifth-largest solar array, Butte County produces more watts of renewable energy per capita than any other county in the nation. View the Renewable Energy brochure, produced by CEPCO, BCEDC, and the County of Butte to learn more.

Renewable Energy PDF file