Google Fiber wants to start testing wireless broadband to homes in over a dozen US cities

At first, Google Fiber delivered super-fast Internet through fiber pipes. Now it’s moving to do that without any pipes at all — and may soon be offering that option in more places.

A new Federal Communications Commission filing reveals that Google Fiber is seeking permission to test wireless broadband tech in 24 US locations, including at least 12 cities. If approved, it would mark the most ambitious step in Fiber’s strategy to build out a nationwide broadband network with reduced costs and much faster rollout. The locations Fiber is scouting, according to the FCC listing, include some cities where it is currently operating, like San Francisco, as well as places where it is not, like Boulder (CO) and Reston (VA). In order to effectively deploy the kind of wireless internet to the home that Fiber is thinking of, the company needs to rely on some sort of backhaul — as in, existing fiber optic pipes or Google infrastructure.