Then Mr. Google came to Washington, giving voice, money and power to what consumer and public policy advocates had said all along: The country needs a third broadband rival to telephone and cable companies. The best way to ensure that, they said, was to limit incumbent wireless companies' ability or willingness to buy the spectrum. In a move that startled many, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in July agreed, at least to some degree, thereby setting the stage for the most compelling spectrum auction in years that could, just maybe, open a third broadband pipe into American homes.

 

Open networks: FCC scrambles the bidding It's fairly easy to say in 2007 that it is the unquestioned Deal of the Century. Within the next five months, the FCC will auction off enough spectrum to build a nationwide wireless network to compete against entrenched incumbents like AT&T and Verizon, if Google, Yahoo, Microsoft or some other deep-pocketed company -- or some combination -- has the billions to make it happen.

 

But the incumbents view the spectrum as bonus airwaves to fatten their pipes for the delivery of advanced services to their customers. The incumbents are also more likely to roll out new services much faster since they already have an infrastructure in place.

 

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