On the heels of a move into the social networking sphere, Google on Wednesday announced that they are ready to tackle another role  Internet service provider.

On the heels of a , Google on Wednesday announced that they are ready to tackle another role  Internet service provider.

Google plans to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the U.S., and is promising speeds up to 1 gigabit per second. These will be fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections that are "100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today," according to Google.

"Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone," Minnie Ingersoll and James Kelly, Google product managers, wrote in a blog post.

Speeds up to 1G/bit per second are important to handle emerging technologies, Google said, and it urged participants to "think big with a gig." That type of speed "will enable new consumer applications, as well as medical, educational, and other services that can benefit communities," the company said. "If the Internet has taught us anything, it's that the most important innovations are often those we least expect."

Google has not yet selected the communities where it will build these networks, and is instead asking for city and state officials to tell the search engine giant where it should go.

"Today we're putting out a request for information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public," Ingersoll and Kelly wrote.

Google stressed that its networks will be open access, "meaning we'll share our network with other service providers, giving users more choice," Kelly said in a video message.

What type of communities does Google want?

"Above all, we're interested in deploying our network efficiently and quickly, and are hoping to identify interested communities that will work with us to achieve this goal," Google wrote in its FAQ. "We also want to want to work with a community where we can bring significant benefits to residents and develop useful proofs-of-concept that can have a broader impact."

Google said it wants to be able to accelerate broadband deployment in regions other than its test communities, so factors will include "level of community support, local resources, weather conditions, approved construction methods and local regulatory issues [as well as] broadband availability and speeds that are already offered to users within a community."

Comments and suggestions are due by March 26, and Google hopes to select its target community or communities this year. Pricing has not yet been determined, nor has a roll-out date been set, but Google said it will "offer service at a competitive price."

"We expect that we will provide this service to a minimum of 50,000 people and up to as many as 500,000 people, most likely in multiple communities," Google said.

In addition to providing Internet service, Google said it hopes the project will also open the door to next-generation apps, new deployment techniques, and openness and choice.

"Like our WiFi network in Mountain View, the purpose of this project is to experiment and learn. Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done," Ingersoll and Kelly wrote. "We don't think we have all the answers  but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, praised Google's announcement.

"Big broadband creates big opportunities. This significant trial will provide an American testbed for the next generation of innovative, high-speed Internet apps, devices, and services," Genachowski said in a statement. "The FCC's National Broadband Plan will build upon such private-sector initiatives and will include recommendations for facilitating and accelerating greater investment in broadband, creating jobs and increasing America's global competitiveness."

The FCC must deliver a national broadband plan to Congress by March 17.

"Google's proposed experiment with building ultra-fast, open broadband pipelines in a handful of communities follows a trail already blazed by Verizon's FiOS network, which has fiber optic cables capable of speeds comparable to what Google proposes," Ben Scott, policy director for Free Press, said in a statement. "The FCC should use these examples to set forward-looking goals for the future of broadband throughout the United States."