You may recall that I posted on Google’s implorations with regard to the 700MhZ spectrum yesterday. Well, check this out, folks (USA Today):
Coming soon could be a wireless broadband world in which consumers get to pick any smartphone or other device and load any software on it — not have to take what the wireless carrier wants to sell.
That’s the goal of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, who will propose sweeping new rules for wireless airwaves the government is auctioning early next year. The 700 MHz spectrum, being vacated by TV stations as they go digital, is coveted for its ability to penetrate walls and other obstacles.
Under Martin’s proposal, to be circulated in the agency as early as Tuesday, mobile services in these airwaves would have to allow consumer choice.
“Whoever wins this spectrum has to provide … truly open broadband network — one that will open the door to a lot of innovative services for consumers,” Martin said in an interview Monday.
This could mean we get the Internet in the air. I mean, the real Internet. Wow.
This all sounds too good to be true.
Would this be similar to how phone companies have to allow dsl from other providers or cable TV companies that are now mandated to compete over the same cable infrastructure? Would end users be paying for access to an open network or would content providers (or an ISP) be paying to get onto this open network and end users would then pay the ISP (of their choice)?
I just got Skype on my Nokia N800…if there were only more access points!
I don’t know about you guys, but as much as I would love getting wirless Internet…I would prefer the Web over it any day of the week.
The telcos will do their best to kill it. Verizon and AT&T are too used to “owning” everything that touches their spectrum. I’m sure they will decry this as “proprietary”, and then explain how their own walled gardens are really the pathway to consumer choice.
This all sounds a bit crazy to me. What is this, a bad “Heroes” episode? Now we’re gonna make a physical thing (the internet) pass through walls? Like THAT’s happening. I mean, suppose I send a picture of a fire over the internet. I don’t know about you all, but I sure wouldn’t want something like THAT going through my wood framed walls.. LOL!!