As more televisions move from analog to digital technologies they are freeing up wireless frequencies that many telecommunications companies are champing at the bit to get their hands on in order to expand their current wireless networks.
Tuesday marked the end of the Federal Government's auction for the 700 mhz wireless spectrum with the final price reaching $19 billion. The winners are still kept secret but should be announced in a few days.
Big name companies like Verizon and ATT would like to use the spectrum to upgraded their current wireless broadband technologies, such as 3g and EV-DO.
Internet Giant, Google, has been rumored to want to use the frequency in order to one day offer free wireless access to all people in the United States. Just in case they did not win the auction, they made the FCC add a special stipulation if bidding went higher than $4 billion. The stipulation states that no matter who the winner is, the company has to allow any legal wireless compatible device to be able to access the spectrum which is good news for many consumers.
This would allow many companies to access the network and use it for communication without having to pay the high usage fees that many wireless providers charge in order for you to access their network.
I really hope Google won the auction only because they are currently behind the idea of a nationwide wireless internet network. So far they have already started testing free wireless access in San Francisco and generate revenue by displaying ads of its partners, much like how many free dial-up companies did back in the late 90s. This would allow many people wireless access almost anywhere in the nation for free, which is great for rural areas where some companies refuse to install new data lines because the costs are too high.
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