Google becomes an ISP in the USA

This is one of those news whose effect might be much stronger than initially expected. The announcement that Google will offer very high speed internet connections in selected places of the USA means that the panorama of internet utilization could change upside down. And the speed is not the only key: the fact that Google will directly implement the optical lines is the very key of this announcement, in my opinion.

If those plans are later extended along the USA, and presumably later to Europe and Japan as well (as it seems predictable), then phone companies and internet line providers have more than reasons enough to worry.

Besides, the very fact that a single company with extremely deep pockets, like Google, is providing the connecting lines and the main search engine (and by the way, owns most of the ads business in the web) could have large implications for internet in general. Some people have been for long pointing out to Google as the next Microsoft, for good and bad; and these news could be another step in that direction.