Google To Telcos: Who Needs You?

Telcos like AT&T and Verizon have announced their plans to extort money from Google and other sites if those sites want to get adequate bandwidth. But there's some evidence that Google may be planning to bypass the Telcos altogether, and roll out its own national broadband service. The rumors have been rife for a while. Google has quietly been buying up fiber and deploying infrastructure. Many people have speculated it's in preparation to roll out a global backbone.

And, of course, Google in in the running to provide WiFi for San Francisco, and will be providing it for its home town of Mountain View, as well as several other locations.

So what's new? Google recently posted a help wanted ad for Strategic Negotiator, Global Infrastructure.

The person they hire will negotiate bandwidth and peering deals all over the world.

If Google had plans to roll out a national broadband service, these negotiated deals are exactly how they'd do it.Of course, it's possible that Google is only doing this for its own regional data center, and to provide Google services.

On the other hand, this could be the ace up Google's sleeve when AT&T, Verizon and others try to extort money if Google wants adequate bandwidth. Google can refuse to pay -- and then in turn launch a nationwide broadband service, which would send the Telcos reeling.