MADISON, Wis. -- Madison and Milwaukee are among cities around the country hoping Google will chose to test its new fiber-optic network in their towns.

The network is expected to be more than 100 times faster than current Internet connections.

Madison officials said the Google Fiber network could bring more than 1,000 jobs and $97 million in infrastructure investment to the city. Milwaukee officials said they received e-mails from residents encouraging them to apply.

Officials in Appleton and Marshfield are also applying for the project.

Google said it's looking for wide community support. The company said it doesn't want to spend time dealing with right-of-way issues or objections as it tears up streets to install its network.

In Duluth, Minn., Mayor Don Ness jumped into the frigid Lake Superior last month to try to bring attention to his city's attempt to lure Google.

In Madison, a public meeting on the Google project is being held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Olbrich Gardens.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Babcock Dairy is churning out a new ice cream flavor to help lure Google. The first samples of the new ice cream flavor will be handed out to those who attend Thursday night's public meeting.

City leaders said they hope people show up to the meeting Thursday with ideas on what Madison should do to rally behind the project.