Comcast has submitted an application to the city of Seattle to provide broadband Internet service to Pioneer Square. Two weeks ago, Mayor Mike McGinn announced a plan to bring fiber-optic Internet service to four blocks of First Avenue South between Cherry and South Jackson, an area known for both attracting a growing number of tech companies and extremely poor Internet access.

The city is installing conduit in the area, through which Internet providers can run fiber-optic cable to connect businesses and homes in the area. McGinn, who made broadband expansion part of his mayoral campaign, said the city is currently accepting proposals from providers.

Comcast is one of the early bidders. The company said its fiber-optic network can deliver bandwidth from 1 Mbps up to 10 Gbps, roughly 100 times faster than what's currently available in the historic neighborhood.

“Our fiber-rich network provides reliable, scalable capacity that will meet the bandwidth needs of the growing number of Internet startups in the neighborhood for many years to come,” said Len Rozek, the senior vice president of Comcast’s Washington region. “We are excited about the opportunity to not only help these businesses grow, but to help the city’s economy grow as well by offering Pioneer Square businesses access to Comcast’s industry leading IP network.”

If approved, Comcast will lease the conduit space from the city, though no financial terms have been disclosed. Mayor McGinn and estimates that broadband service will be available by September.

Pioneer Square has become a hotbed for tech companies over the years, with a number of startups and larger companies taking up residency in the area. Zynga recently took up space in one of Pioneer Square's brick-walled offices, and Isilon has announced it will move its offices to 505 First Avenue South this fall. ShareBuilder and Nuance Communications are also located in the area.