While we might like to think cities and towns across North and South Carolina can work together in the name of southern kindness, when it comes time to compete for a new high-speed Internet service from Google, all bets are off.

Across South Carolina, Columbia, Greenville and Moncks Corner are competing for a chance to be a test site for Google Fiber, a super-duper high speed broadband network that Google says will have Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most people have access to currently (more than 1 gigabit per second).

Cities across the country have created Google campaigns, temporarily changing the town name to incorporate “Google,” creating Facebook pages and planning events and promotions. Last Saturday, Greenville hosted Google on Main, billed as the “world’s first and largest people-powered Google chain.” Thousands gathered with red, green, blue and gold LED-powered glow sticks to spell out “Google.”

Friday is the last day cities can submit an application to be considered for a test site. Google hasn’t announced when it will make a decision.

The city selected to test the Google Fiber network will certainly gain national exposure and most likely a boost in economic development as other companies and organizations strive to get in a piece of the Google action.

What do you see as the benefits of being a test city for Google Fiber?