Auction bid triggers airwaves open access

AUCTION BID TRIGGERS AIRWAVES OPEN ACCESS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan]
A bidder on Thursday offered $4.71 billion for a key slice of wireless airwaves being sold by the government, triggering a condition that the spectrum be accessible to any device or software application. After 17 auction rounds, the bidding for the "C" block of 700 megahertz spectrum surpassed a $4.64 billion minimum set by the Federal Communications Commission. As a result, the winner of the airwaves will have to abide by the open-access conditions, which had been sought by Internet search leader Google and adopted by the FCC before the auction. There were no further bids on the C-block airwaves in the subsequent round of the auction, a development that could mean the bidding on the C-block airwaves is over. The bidders' identities are being kept secret, under FCC rules, until the entire auction ends. However, analysts have said the most likely bidders for the C block airwaves are either Verizon Wireless or Google. The auction is due to continue until there are no more bids. The top bids on Thursday morning totaled $13.69 billion for all five spectrum blocks.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWBT00827920080131

* Spectrum Auction Update: FCC Meets Floor Price for C Block
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6527581.html?rssid=193

* News of C Block Meeting Minimum Bid Praised
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6527795.html?rssid=193

* Spectrum Auction Update: Total Tops $15B
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6527808.html?rssid=193

* Bidder Meets FCC's Price for Airwaves
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013103586.html

* Airwaves auction bidder must open up network
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080201/1b_auction01.art.htm

* Airwave auction a win for consumers
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-spectrum1feb01,1,5676690.story

* Bidders Bet on Open Access (Free Press)
"Today marks a key moment in the future of an open Internet. Detractors who vociferously objected last year to new FCC policies that give consumers more choice and freedom have been proven dead wrong. We have at least one company willing to bet billions on an open network. This demonstrates that the marketplace will support open networks in the future just as easily as it supported closed networks in the past. Finally, the American public will enjoy the benefits of more competition. This is just the beginning. This auction signals that the Internet marketplace -- and the public polices that shape it -- should now move decisively toward universal openness. If open devices and applications are good for consumers in the networks built on 700 MHz spectrum, why not for all mobile networks? These conditions should be applied across the board so that consumers can benefit immediately from more choice and competition."
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=332