The FCC auction of coveted spectrum in the 700mghz range begins this Thursday. This spectrum is made up of the analog VHF over-the-air channels that are federally mandated to cease in 2009.
The spectrum is considered beach front property because of it’s lower power needs, great range and ability to penetrate buildings. Some of the band has already been allocated to public safety officials, the rest is envisioned as a national high speed wireless network. You may remember that Google entered the fray by announcing it would be a bidder. It appears they may have been more interested in changing the auction’s rules than in actually winning spectrum. Their actions did help open up the cell phone market by promoting the idea of using of using your phone on the network of your choice. I would like to see more competition in the high-speed Internet access market since the downside of the changeover from dial-up Internet access has been a reduction in the number of choices available.
The high bids (but not the bidder identities) can be followed daily at the FCC website.
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