The FCC will rule on the upcoming auction of spectrum being
vacated by air-borne television signals tomorrow. The guidelines for the
auction are being carefully watched by numerous wireless providers, as well as
some newcomers, such as Google, who has offered to spend billions of dollars on
the spectrum, assuming that some of the spectrum is “open source” available to
any wireless network user.
Bottom Line: The rules for the auction will provide some
initial signals as to the FCC’s philosophy for future spectrum use. If the
proposal for the “open source” spectrum is granted, it will create significant
buzz in the wireless industry for both providers and consumers.
