The recent 700MHz auction results have been released -- and the winners are... exactly who we thought they would be: big telco incumbents. While this result may not be ideal, the open platform mandate for the C Block (which raised over $5 billion of the $19.6 billion in proceeds) will require Verizon to allow all compatible devices onto their network (which should dramatically increase the options for consumers who would like to bring their own devices to their service provider). Of course, there's still a lot to the rules that will need to be interpreted by the FCC -- the actual mandate was developed as a compromise among various FCC staffers and contains language that was purposefully nebulous. Meanwhile, here's an article from PC World that sums up some of the issues at play in this recent auction:

From PCworld.com:

700-MHz Auction Draws Mixed Reaction

Although disappointed that large incumbent carriers won the biggest prizes in the 700-MHz auction this week, some open-network advocates still say the auction could be a good first step.

Brad Reed, Network World

Friday, March 21, 2008 05:00 PM PDT

Some open-network advocates say the federal government's 700-MHz auction could be a good first step toward giving American consumers access to a truly open wireless network.

Sascha Meinrath, the research director for the New America Foundation's Wireless Future Program, says the 700-MHz auction went "exactly as expected," with big carriers Verizon and AT&T scoring big wins on the so-called "C" and "B" blocks of spectrum, respectively. Now that the spectrum has been allotted to the victors, he says, the future of open mobile broadband networks in the United States now hinges upon how vigorously the FCC enforces the open-access regulations it placed on the C Block, the 22-MHz chunk of spectrum that Verizon bid more than US$4.5 billion for the rights to operate.

The C Block is a particularly valuable piece of spectrum because it provides the broadest range of coverage over any spectrum available in the auction, and could potentially hold the key to building out a nationwide open-access wireless network. The FCC placed open-access rules on the block last year that will prohibit Verizon from blocking or slowing Internet traffic from competing carriers using the network, or from discriminating against devices trying to connect to the network. The commission adopted the rules in response to heavy lobbying from Google and consumer-advocacy groups.

Meinrath says while the open-access rules have the right intent behind them, they are broadly written and can be open to different interpretations. Thus the future composition of the FCC, and whether its members are strongly committed to the principle of open networks, will determine just how open the C-Block spectrum really is.
Verizon

Tim Karr, the campaign director for media advocacy group Free Press, says Verizon's past opposition to open networks means that the carrier should [that should probably be "shouldn't" --sdm] be trusted and that consumer groups will have to pressure the FCC to strictly enforce its own rules.

"I don't see Verizon doing anything in the wireless space to threaten their status quo of control over the broadband marketplace," he says. "We need to remain vigilant to ensure that Verizon honors the FCC conditions in a way that brings real consumer choice into a still-closed marketplace."

Karr also says the FCC should expand openness conditions to all wireless networks used by consumers, and not only the C Block. He thinks that unless the FCC is active in prodding Verizon and other carriers toward more openness, then Verizon's victory in the auction will leave "slim prospects for genuine Internet competition via a wireless 'third pipe.'"

Google, which did not win any actual spectrum in the auction, has so far expressed more optimism over the auction results than some of the consumer advocacy groups. In a post on Google's public policy blog, Google attorneys Richard Whitt and Joseph Farber called the auction "a major victory for consumers" and predicted that "consumers soon should begin enjoying new, Internet-like freedom to get the most out of their mobile phones and other wireless devices." Google also said that it couldn't comment in further detail on the auction results because it might violate the FCC's anti-collusion rules for the auction, but promised that it would have "more to say in the near future."

We just launched the Wireless Innovation Alliance here at year's end to help counter the massive, multi-million dollar lobbying and PR blitz by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). At stake is access to the unused frequencies in-between TV broadcast channels. The NAB says that allowing unlicensed devices in these channels would destroy TV (and they have zillions of dollars and lobbyists on their side). We say that's bunk (and have research/physics/reality) on our side.

I recently drafted an in-depth white space device policy backgrounder on the issue that's both accessible and chock-full of useful information about white space devices.

Meanwhile, a number of congressional members weighed in this week supporting white space devices, and Ofcom (the British equivalent of the Federal Communications Commission) just announced their support for white space devices -- what they call "interleaved spectrum" (maybe physics works differently across the pond?).

If you're now asking yourself, "What are these white space devices of which you speak?" -- here's a quick synopsis of the current battle (from the white space device policy backgrounder):

White spaces devices use the unassigned frequencies between broadcast TV channels to offer a range of wireless services to the public. Access to the vacant TV channels in each market has been the subject of intense lobbying, yet far too many of the arguments against white space devices rely upon misinformation about the technologies and the FCC process that will ensure that harmful interference TV broadcasts and other incumbent services does not occur. Much of the analysis that underlies anti-white space device lobbying does not equip policymakers with the information they need to make decisions in the public interest. We believe that policymakers deserve better than the torrent of misinformation that has characterized the debate over white spaces devices. Therefore, this paper is an effort to help policymakers strike the appropriate balance between protecting existing services from interference while making the benefits of mobile broadband services available and affordable for all consumers. This policy backgrounder contains an analysis of the impact of white spaces devices from the New America Foundation, an independent think tank that has published numerous independent studies on this issue over the past five years. The paper contains links to primary sourcing to support its claims and aid in the critical analysis of the counterclaims currently being made about these new technologies. Our goal is to provide decision-makers and interested parties with: 1) a brief historical background to the current FCC proceedings; 2) a description of White Space Device (WSD) technologies; 3) a point-counterpoint “Myths vs. Facts” section on some of the key concerns raised about WSDs; 4) an overview of the public benefits of WSDs; and 5) a concise summary of where we are in the multi-phase process of adopting WSD technologies for consumer use.

Presented at the 2007 Community Wireless Infrastructure Research Project (CWIRP) Workshop in Toronto, Canada on October 16, 2007, "US Telecommunications: Policy and Fantasy in the 21st Century" takes analyses the implications of four initiatives affecting 21st century telecommunications:

1. Broadband Census of America Act of 2007
2. Community Broadband Act
3. Open Platform requirements of the 700MHz spectrum auction
4. White Space Devices

From Harold Feld -- lots of amazingly useful info on the pending 700MHz fiasco/proceedings:

Ya know, I had real hopes that, barring a Petition for Reconsideration or two, I was pretty much done with the 700 MHz auction. Sure, Verizon filed a lawsuit with the DC Circuit, but at least we could sit back and stop worrying about the FCC stuff. And besides, the lawsuit didn't really have much of a chance anyway. So, after a grueling 6 months or so, I thought I could finally relax and turn to something new, like kicking the bejeezus out of the cable monopoly.

Hah.

As recent reports indicate, Verizon has apparently pressed the FCC to “clarify” the C Block conditions. I say “apparently” because Verizon has not actually filed a request for any sort of clarification, reconsideration, or declaratory ruling. Indeed, to my considerable annoyance, it took a modest reprimand from the Wireless Bureau and Martin's staff for Verizon to actually put something in the record vaguely resembling a description of what Verizon's most senior lobbyists actually discussed with the Chairman and his staff. Verizon, meanwhile, vigorously denies they ever asked for reconsideration (and, separately, that it finds the accusation that it violated the ex parte shocking and deeply offensive).