Friday, July 20, 2007

Google Takes On Wireless Spectrum, Commits $4.6B To Auction

Mountain View-based Google said this morning that it intends to participate in the federal government's upcoming auction of 700 megahertz spectrum, which is being opened up by a shift from analog to digital television broadcasts. Google is also pushing the FCC to require the adoption of "open" platforms to allow any software, devices, services, and networks to connect into 700 MhZ wireless networks, and said it has allocated a minimum of $4.6B in the upcoming auction. Google's plan for open access has ruffled the feathers of AT&T and Verizon, likely bidders for the same spectrum.