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Google has announced plans to build experimental ultra high-speed broadband networks that would deliver internet speeds 100 times faster than what most Americans have today.
"We're planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States," Google product managers Minnie Ingersoll and James Kelly said.
"We'll deliver internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with one gigabit per second, fibre-to-the-home connections," they said.
Google said it planned to offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.
They said Google would operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers.
Google invited communities around the country that wanted to take part in the high-speed broadband trial to make their interest known by March 26 and said the target communities would be announced later this year.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski welcomed the Google initiative.
"Big broadband creates big opportunities," Mr Genachowski said.
"This significant trial will provide an American testbed for the next generation of innovative, high-speed internet apps, devices, and services."
US President Barack Obama has pledged to put broadband in every home and the FCC has embarked on an ambitious project to bring high-speed internet access to every corner of the United States.
The United States was ranked 20th in broadband penetration in a survey of 58 countries released last year by Boston-based Strategy Analytics.
Median US broadband speeds are less than 5.0 megabits per second (Mbps) - capable of moving five million bits of data per second - according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, far slower than those of Japan (63 Mbps) and South Korea (49 Mbps).
Google shares were trading 0.50 per cent lower at $US533.75 dollars at 13:00 in New York.
