FCC Chairman Spurns Google’s $4.6 Billion Offer

window.document.getElementById(‘post-3845’).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said today that he would not support Google’s offer to bid $4.6 billion in the 700 MHz spectrum auction if the FCC made a requirement that the spectrum be open. Martin told a House subcommittee he would not support Google’s proposal, but that one block of spectrum in the auction would carry a requirement for open devices and open software.
Google had made a bold move before the weekend, issuing an ultimatum. If the FCC required its four pillars of openness (open devices, open networks, open services, open applications), then it would enter the auction and bid at least 4.6 billion dollars. With such an investment, Google would have to become a communications company in order to justify the purchase, a significant bet to further its goal of open networks.
The move by Martin makes it less likely Google will bid in […]

Original post by Nathan Weinberg