We've always said that rumors of Google becoming a national broadband ISP would eventually be proven true -- and now they have. Google tomorrow will officially launch the beta of their "Dark Porcelain" project: free wireless broadband for the masses that will be routed through home plumbing. According to the project FAQ, the service will come in three tiers (not all of them free), with speeds eventually as high as 32Mbps. We'll note there's some very impressive upstream speeds being planned for this project. That's surprising, given plumbing-based-broadband's reputation as an interference-prone niche solution for those who don't get decent fiber.

"I couldn't be more excited about, and am only slightly grossed out by, this remarkable new product," says Marissa Mayer, Google's Vice President of Search Products and User Experience. "I firmly believe TiSP will be a breakthrough product, particularly for those users who, like Larry himself, do much of their best thinking in the bathroom." The company also details how installations will work during the beta, here.