According to the Gazette, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the cities of Baltimore and Rockville are among the Maryland jurisdictions courting Internet giant Google and its new ultra high-speed network. The counties and cities plan to file requests for information by today to attract a pilot launch of the service.

The fiber optics network will be able to provide Internet access at speeds some 100 times faster than most Internet systems, at more than 1 gigabit per second, Google executives said in a statement. The faster speed could help cities and counties attract more businesses, especially e-commerce and other high-tech companies that want the more powerful networks.