Google is a search engine.  Google is a browser.  Google is a cell phone OS.  Google is an ultra high-speed broadband network.  Google is planning on launching a fiber-based 1 gigabit broadband network to homes and businesses across America at “competitive prices.”  Why are they doing this, you ask?

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it’s creating new bandwidth-intensive “killer apps” and services, or other uses we can’t yet imagine.

New deployment techniques: We’ll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we’ll share key lessons learned with the world.

Openness and choice: We’ll operate an “open access” network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we’ll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way.

In other words, this is an elaborate experiment for Google, to test the waters and see what happens when more people have access to blazingly fast Internet speeds.  They are in the game to “help make Internet access better and faster for everyone.”  The plan will be offered to “at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people” in the coming months.  If you’re interested in becoming a candidate, watch the preview video after the break and visit Google’s Fiber for Communities page.

[Via GoogleBlog]