Google: Real Estate's New Rainmaker?

Google's recent announcement that it will begin building and testing an experimental cutting-edge broadband network in select cities was the opening shot in the Internet speed race. Headlines have focused on telecom and cable companies running scared as the Mountain View, Calif. search giant wires up to 200,000 residences with Internet service 100 times faster than what's currently available.

But, in an age where speedy Internet access is as vital to a home's basic utilities as running water, the bigger issue may be what Google's grand experiment means for the average homeowner. Will Google become a real estate rainmaker?