Cincinnati to Google: Please come here | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

There have been no mayoral pronouncements, no renaming of the city, no publicity stunts at all to get Google to launch its test site here for a network that promises Internet delivery at 100 times today's usual speeds.

Still, local officials say the Queen City has as good a chance as any to attract the Internet search giant's attention and investment in an experimental fiber-optic network for up to 500,000 users. Friday's the deadline for showing interest in the venture.

A recent survey by Connect Ohio, a Columbus-based non-profit advocating for the spread of broadband Internet access, says that the average download speed among consumers in Southwest Ohio is 2 megabits per second - fast enough to download a three-minute song in less than a minute...