According to a report from BusinessWeek, Apple may join Google and bid on the 700-MHz wireless spectrum in the upcoming FCC auction.
Two sources tell BusinessWeek that Steve Jobs & Co. have studied the implications of joining the auction, which will be held Jan. 16. The winners will get rights to use the spectrum that analog TV broadcasters are handing back to the government in 2009, given their mandated move to digital television.
Dubbed "beachfront property" by the Federal Communications Commission, it's the last swathe of wireless spectrum likely to become available that would have the attributes necessary for a new mainstream broadband network (BusinessWeek.com, 8/1/07). Signals at the 700-Mhz spectrum, for example, could provide far faster Internet access than today's cellular or even Wi-Fi networks, and the signals can easily pass through buildings and work glitch-free, even in lousy weather.
While it's just a rumor at this point, it does suggest that the fight for true 'open access' isn't over yet, and that the incumbents might not find it as easy this time, to get their way.
