High speed internet

This ad for high-speed Internet service flashes at passers-by outside the headquarters of epb, the utility serving the Chattanooga area. (Lee Roop | LRoop@al.com)

Huntsville's ambitious plan to join the growing list of U.S. cities with ultra-high-speed Internet service is now under way.

Mayor Tommy Battle announced Wednesday that Huntsville wants to hear from private companies capable of creating a citywide fiber-optic network with download speeds "at or above" 1 gigabit per second.

Internet providers that want to partner with Huntsville on the "Gig City" effort must submit a letter of intent by April 1. Proposals are due April 24.

With Google Fiber and other Internet companies deploying ultra-high-speed fiber networks primarily in "NFL cities" like Atlanta and Nashville, said Battle, Huntsville has to be aggressive to make sure it is not left behind. Moving data at high speeds is becoming as essential to a city's economic survival as water, sewer and roads, he said.

Business Relations Officer Harrison Diamond, left, talks about Huntsville's "Gig City" ambitions during a Wednesday news conference while Mayor Tommy Battle looks on. (Steve Doyle | sdoyle@al.com)

Business Relations Officer Harrison Diamond, who is spearheading the Gig City plan, said four companies have expressed interest in submitting proposals for a citywide fiber network that would serve homes as well as businesses.

Huntsville's ideal network would be both affordable and fast, said Diamond, with Internet download speeds ranging from several hundred megabits to more than a gigabit per second.

"Cost and speed are two of our main considerations," Diamond said at a Wednesday news conference. "We want the entire community to be covered. We want everybody in Huntsville who wants it to have access to it."

He said the city will entertain proposals from companies that already provide Internet service here - AT&T, Comcast and Wow! - as well as firms with no ties to Huntsville.

Building an underground fiber network that stretches from Interstate 65 to Hampton Cove will take time, and serious bucks. Battle said the city would prioritize getting the network set up initially in areas that need it most today, including Cummings Research Park.

Diamond said Huntsville's defense and aerospace industry is teeming with "data heavy" companies that are rooting for ultra-fast Internet. If it doesn't happen, he said, high-tech firms will eventually bypass the Rocket City for places with faster download speeds.

"This is not a want, this is a need," said Diamond.