It's official: Virginia is the Internet Capital. That's what it says on the state's new specialty license plates, unveiled Thursday at a rally in Reston, Virginia, after receiving the official legal blessing of Governor James Gilmore.

OK, the plates actually say "Internet C@pital." Cool, eh?

See also: No Credit Where It's Due

"Virginia is the home of the Internet, and we are the leaders of this historic business revolution," said Mike Daniels, chairman of domain registrar Network Solutions, which designed the new plate and helped push a bill through the Virginia legislature to approve it.

Internet Capital? Home of the Internet?

Virginia?

Like, I'm so sure, business types in California's Bay Area – Home of Silicon Valley – said, ever so derisively.

"Yes, Virginia, there is an Internet capital ... but it's San Francisco!" said Carol Piasente, a VP at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

"They can put whatever they like on their license plates," added PJ Johnston, campaign spokesman for San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. "The fact is, San Francisco is the most Wired City in America."

Oh, how gauche, all this title grubbing, said Steve Tedesco, president of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce.

"In the Valley," he said with the erudite tone of an academician, "we understand that there is no Internet capital. The Internet is everyone connected together – it's everywhere. Of course, the more it's everywhere, and the more there's no capital, the better Silicon Valley does."

Virginia, back to you.

"The governor recently completed a trip to the Bay Area, you know," said Mark Miner, press secretary for Governor Jim Gilmore. "We can all work together."

As long as certain proprieties are observed, of course.

"Since Governor Gilmore has been called the 'Internet Governor,' it's only fitting that Virginia be called the Internet Capital," Miner said.

Virginia has a host of big-time Net firms, including AOL, Network Solutions, and MCI WorldCom, Virginia Capitalists point out.

For the record, the design of Virginia's new Net plate, featuring a crescent blue ".com" along with the controversial proclamation, hasn't officially been approved.

Once it gets the final nod, at least 350 folks will have to place an order before the government starts production. The Net plate will join Virginia's other 150 other specialty plates, and will cost US$10.

Oh, and when Virginia does start production, it won't print any plates with "@" symbols in the personal ID section. It's too confusing for the Internet capital's computers.

"It doesn't go into the system," said Nancy Huddleston, a spokeswoman for Network Solutions. "They can't process it."

How typical, sniffed California's DMV.

"They may declare themselves the Internet Capital with their license plates, but it's only in California [and Alaska] that you can actually go online and check your license plate configuration," said spokesman Evan Nossoff.

Actually, you can do it in Virginia, too. Looks like the Golden State's Net worth has just been one-upped.

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