The New York Times’ John Markoff has this piece today about a proposal Google submitted to the FCC yesterday, two days before the Commission is set to come up with rules in the 700 MHz auction.
Google doesn’t plan to participate in the auction. The search giant just thinks it has a good idea with its market-based, real-time method for selling advertising and the government should take notice. The FCC’s process for auctioning spectrum has been criticized as unwieldy and subject to big bucks gamemanship. It helps, too, that several of the bidders in the auction want to use the spectrum to jumpstart broadband competition to cable and phone companies.
“The driving reason we’re doing this is that there are not enough broadband options for consumers,” said Adam Kovacevich, a spokesman for Google’s policy office in Washington. “In general, it’s the belief of a lot of people in the company that spectrum is allocated in an inefficient manner.”
One group, Frontline Wireless, which counts as backers key Google investors L. John Doerr and Ram Shriram, plans to endorse Google’s proposal. Frontline has advanced a proposal that would require licensees to provide support for public safety communications, but allow for the auction of airwaves not used for that purpose.
Cynthia Brumfield at 9:14 AM|Comments(0)
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