Google 'still very interested' in 700MHz spectrum auction

Just in case you had any suspicion that Google may retract its interest in bidding for the 700MHz spectrum after the rules neglected to afford the winner wholesaling rights, Chris Sacca has intervened to clear things up. According to the search giant's head of special initiatives, the firm is "still very interested in the auction" despite not getting all of the rules for the spectrum sale set in its favor. Of course, the FCC did choose to approve the whole "open access" bit, and while Mr. Sacca declined to elaborate in order to keep details of Google's strategy on the DL, it seems safe to say that it will indeed be busting out the checkbook come auction time.

[DD0 @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:28PM]

I hope they buy it and they launch cable/internet services too. I'm so sick of this lack of competition. I'm finally beyond fed up with Time Warner so I'm getting DirecTV next week and I called Verizon to get FiOS for my net. Verizon told me I can't have their service in Dallas because they don't want to compete. That is the exact problem with Telcos today. Verizon offers a better service than anything I can currently get, yet they won't offer it to me because Time Warner is already here.

Time Warner is the worst company I personally have ever dealt with.

[thoruen @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:56PM]

I hear everyone one complain about how their cable company is the worst. Well I have the worst in Chart, owned by Paul Allen and it's a disgrace. Charter is always months or years behind on tech and their customer service sucks.

Now on to this story. I see the potential of the 700MHz spectrum. Basically it's used currently to broadcast real time streaming video (TV), but what will this spectrum mean for the currently new wireless internet technologies? Will WiBro, WiMax, and other cutting edge tech. Are they going to fall to the wayside as well?

[Ellianth @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:03PM]

move to Canada.

[InCanada @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:21PM]

If you move up here you get the choice of one cable company west of Ontario and one from there east. There are a few more choices in net access and wireless but not many. Monopolies exist here too.

[Bigsby @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:46PM]

Move to B.C. We've got 2 huge ones here trying to compete with each other, BCTel (Telus) and Shaw. Then there are all the smaller ISPs, and there are a lot of those.

[Ozbone @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:59PM]

Rule to keep in mind: Never reveal your exact intentions; Google did not expect to get everything they asked for, hence, they're still a player.

[Brad @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:04PM]

What are the two industries that consumers hate the most? Cell companies and cable companies.

What can the 700MHz spectrum provide? Mobile phone access and wireless (cable-style) television.

[PEZ @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:21PM]

Google could very easily do what Danger and Apple is doing - though they have somethign neither do not: infrastructure that has proven itself for years.

If they can manage to sync everyones info on a personal account and create a safe haven for it (never lost, like Danger) and provide an interface as slick as the iPhone (but "better") then you have something neato. Noe lets see the friggin thing already.

[JSM @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:34PM]

crazy idea - they got open device access on one bloc of the auctioned spectrum - they should buy one of the remaining adjoining blocs, open it up as well, and then have 40% of the new spectrum available for open device use. Since they're primarily interested in selling (or giving away with advertising) services on open devices over open spectrum this would seem to give them the greatest possible opportunity. Of course, if 40% of the new spectrum is opened up like this it's going to be awfully difficult for the incumbents to make money charging $60/month for the remaining 60% - I can almost feel a tear welling up for those poor guys.

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Aug 3rd 2007 7:15PM]

or they could use that 700mhz spectrum to blanket wireless over the entirety of the Bay Area (that includes mountain view)

[David Spark @ Aug 3rd 2007 7:40PM]

The FCC is patting themselves on the back for a major advancement in opening up the networks and all they've really done is said, "Hey, let's be on par with Europe." Which allows for unlocked phones and customers to move from carrier to carrier. This "win" is barely going to influence the carriers. They will still control users and they can still put software hooks into their phones kind of in the same way Microsoft does.

I met Scott Slater yesterday at the Personal Broadband Industry Association and he offered the view that Google is trying to push the FCC to create a nationwide broadband wireless infrastructure. I've got a very detailed post about it here with all the issues going on.
http://www.sparkminute.com/?p=225