http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2007-07-09-wireless-telecom_N.htm?csp=34

There are a lot of rumors floating around as to who may win the spectrum talked about in the article from the link above. Google is being touted as the next Microsoft because of their interest in this wireless range. What is so important about the FCC auctioning off some wireless spectrum? Who cares who controls the air waves, right? What does this mean to the little guy? Those are great questions, but I think there are more to be found as you dig deeper into this topic.

First, one has to have an understanding of just what this spectrum is and what it has meant over the years. This spectrum is your analog television for all practical purposes. The television you have subscribed to or received over the air was broadcasted to you at some point over air waves. Air waves that travel great distances and through many obstacles. Think of how many homes have put up antennas to catch local television stations’ channels. That will soon be a memory in the past as analog television is going away. Everything is being packetized and going digital. Transmission will no longer be the same in the world of broadcasting. The FCC has been telling us this for a while and now it is getting closer than you might imagine.

Second, a person would have to understand that there are people out there who are able to think with a futuristic mindset. Companies and individuals with open business minds that see every possible use for a spectrum like the one the FCC is auctioning off. Consider a company like Google who has the money to waste on a crazy investment. Look at what Google has already done in the last few years. They are innovative. They are the number one search engine and really the number one advertising firm. Who doesn’t have Google ads? You have to consider the fact that a possible move by Google into the wireless realm scares companies like AT&T. The cellular companies don’t want to compete with an open-minded company like Google. Google is the kind of company that would actually consider giving services away for free with ad support. The current wireless companies give nothing away.

Third, FCC chairman Kevin Martin is fighting to keep this spectrum of the air waves open. What does that mean for you and I as consumers? That means that you and I would be able to choose the applications, services, and products that we subscribed to or used on this network. We would not be locked in to a single provider or application. We would not be blocked from using free services. A free and open wireless network would be a blessing for those of us who want to do more with our mobile devices. I for one think that Google would be the company to deliver us the best experience on this network.

So, I hope you see what all of the fuss is about now. This is a big deal. Not only concerning what will be done with this spectrum, but also what will be done with the new digital spectrum that broadcasters are moving to. The bandwidth that broadcasters have now allows them to run multiple digital feeds over one channel. That equates to multiple clear digital channels over one channel; or if they opt to, they can use this same channel to offer one HD channel. There is so much coming to the home entertainment arena in the next few years. We will all just have to wait and see how this will all pan out with the FCC and companies such as Google who want the chance to change the air waves as we now know them.

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Filed under: Entertainment, Internet, Open Source, Technology, Tv by Philip Williams