Google WILL Try To Bid On 700 MHz Wireless Spectrum
When the FCC auctions off the 700 MHz wireless spectrum the tech giant Google will most likely be among the bidders. The company announced this morning that it will formally apply with the FCC to participate in the auction on Monday.
The 700 MHz spectrum is currently used to provide the UHF channels 52-69 but will be vacated by 2009 as these channels switch to digital broadcasts.
“We believe it’s important to put our money where our principles are. Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today’s wireless world. No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet.”
– Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google
Google has been involved in the events surrounding this auction for a while now but with Monday being the deadline for bidders to apply some were starting to wonder if Google had backed down.
So why is this on (mostly) political site? Because Google’s involvement in this process has mostly been focused on getting the FCC to stipulate that the band not be restricted to certain devices and software like most currently are. The FCC applied some of Google’s suggestions to a part of the spectrum.
The Official Google Blog has a post up explaining the auction process and their reasons for participating.
November 30th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Google frightens me, but I’m not sure why…..
November 30th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
I can understand that, Google seems to collect a lot of information about it’s users. It bothers me but I also can’t imagine what my life would be like without Google products. For now that’s a far more scary prospect for me.
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
The information they collect doesn’t scare me that much. It’s more their power on the internet. I think it’s the next Microsoft… The capitalist in me thinks it’s good, but chicken little says the sky is falling.
The information they collect is for marketing purposes. I saw an ad in a computer paper a few years ago that showed a large man in a house doorway wearing a diaper and holding a six pack of beer under his arm. The caption said “Every Friday at 6pm, Joe buys a six-pack of beer and diapers. Don’t try to understand him, market to him.”
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:25 pm
I’m not exactly worried about Google having that data, it’s the thought of having that much personal information in one place that could possibly be stolen by someone outside Google.
I’ll admit that I should probably be more worried about Google’s power than I currently am. Like I said though, I just don’t know what I’d do without Google. For example I remember paying Yahoo around $20/year for 200 MB of email storage and POP access. Now I use Google Apps and get almost 3 GB of storage along with POP and IMAP access all for free. I can even use my own domain name with it too.
December 7th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
With Google ties to the People’s Republic of China and their work with PRC intelligence fighting dissidents there, having access to our internal communication system should be a big plus for Chinese intelligence. Go Google!
December 7th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
The user data that Google and other online companies provide to the Chinese Government pertains only to political dissidents inside China, not Americans or other countries. Still, it’s a horrible practice.