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It's over! 700MHz spectrum auction tops $19.5 billion

arstechnica.com — The FCC's 700MHz spectrum auction has wrapped up, with bids totaling over $19.5 billion. The Commission has yet to reveal the identities of the winning bidders, but Block C with its open-access requirements passed the reserve price in late January. Block D failed to meet the reserve.

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  • sio2man, on 03/19/2008, -6/+241Go Google!
    • geoken, on 03/19/2008, -1/+45My fingers are crossed
    • ManOfVirtues, on 03/19/2008, -1/+46Come on GPhone
      • LightSpeed4, on 03/20/2008, -4/+2they already said "not happening" but google fanboys are ***** annoying and ignorant.
        • Andytom, on 03/20/2008, -2/+4look up the android project
          • LightSpeed4, on 03/20/2008, -1/+0i dont need to look it up, its a ***** os, not a phone.
        • LightSpeed4, on 03/20/2008, -1/+0since when was an OS considered a gphone? once again, refer to my previous comment.
        • troye, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Because they say it's not coming, doesn't mean that it's not coming. Companies lie all the time about the tech goodness that they will release in the future.
    • RoroCo, on 03/19/2008, -24/+9Seeing as Google is only a $16.5 billion dollar company... I wouldn't hold your breath on that one. In this market, that would be a huge risk for a company to get into a new industry which requires a purchase of rights that cost $3 billion dollars more than their entire company's annual revenue.

      Still... It would be cool :)
      • surKaz, on 03/19/2008, -0/+10that probably means Google's out... .Go.. ... Hmm.. Didn't really think about a backup..
      • fyrehart, on 03/19/2008, -0/+21Block C, which had some notable open access rules attached to it, passed the FCC's $4.638 billion reserve price on the final day of January. A $4.744 billion bid pushed it past the threshold, but that was the final bid on the nationwide license for Block C. Afterwards, Block C bidding moved to regional licenses, which could be used separately or combined to form a single, nationwide network.

        Block C, which had some notable open access rules attached to it, passed the FCC's $4.638 billion reserve price

        Block C, which had some notable open access rules

        open access rules
        • surKaz, on 03/19/2008, -2/+8Thanks.... I shoulda read a little more..
      • MellerTime, on 03/19/2008, -0/+17There were rumors that Google would partner with another company to make the bid. That seems to make a lot of sense since Google is a service company, not an infrastructure company. Don't necessarily count them out yet...
      • subterfuge, on 03/19/2008, -0/+34http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=Goog

        google's market capitalization is almost 139 billion USD i think they could afford being ONE of the parties who won that auction
        • meropealcyone, on 03/19/2008, -0/+9In addition to which they have more then $10bn in cash reserves.....

          That said, winning the auction would be the cheap part. Building the infrastructure wold be *very* expensive.
        • LightSpeed4, on 03/20/2008, -1/+0its not just 19 billion, it also cost 5 billion per year to maintain the spectrum.

          google doesnt even make close to that.
      • ArchiTech, on 03/19/2008, -0/+6We all want Google to be the winning party, but I suspect Google's intentions were to have the open access rules applied to the frequency block. Nothing more.

        Still, nice to dream.
      • BigManOnCampus, on 03/19/2008, -0/+8Yeah, and people purchase homes that are 200% of their annual income.
        • Tenoq, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1Not sure on US housing prices, but most people in Austraila purchase homes that are 6 times (or more) their annual income. The vast majority retire with a mortgage too. :p
          Housing affordability? What's that? :p Stupid tax breaks for multiple house owners.
    • johnboycanada, on 03/19/2008, -19/+6Hey, that should pay for about 2% of the Iraq war.
    • GLMonkey, on 03/19/2008, -4/+13Go Banana!
    • bariswheel, on 03/19/2008, -1/+4Possibly 10 more days of suspense... argh...
      "The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has announced the end of the US 700MHz auction, but won't be saying who's snapped up the frequencies for another 10 days or so while they officially close the sale."
      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/19/700mhz_auc ...

    • jake07, on 03/19/2008, -0/+34Well, okay. Based on that number it seems I was clearly outbid.
      • surKaz, on 03/19/2008, -8/+3that's ok.. I was outbid as well..
        I only bid $4.743 billion
        • jake07, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1It's like Ebay. Google hit refresh until the last second and then totally schooled everyone.

          $5
          $15
          $215.99
          $19500000000.01
      • ScottoGato, on 03/19/2008, -6/+2I was out bid at $19.5 Hundred.
    • chesterjosiah, on 03/19/2008, -2/+9IMO, owning the spectrum is a headache that Google doesn't actually want, let alone pay for. For all the same reasons that Google hasn't built an operating system (an alternative to Windows). Sure, owning the C-Block could generate alternative sources of revenue, but it just doesn't seem to fit into Google's master plan (whatever that is).

      According to:
      http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jh ...

      "Google CEO Eric Schmidt had committed to spending "only" $4.6 billion in the sale, to ensure that FCC's requirements for building a network open to devices and applications from any provider would be enforced. The C block sold for $4.75 billion."

      That sounds about right to me. Google probably bid 4.6b and got outbid.

      But hey, Google is still the consumer's "savior", and I'm sure they will take advantage of the policies that they convinced the FCC to impose on the C block. The Gphone will come, sooner or later, and it will be awesome. :-)
    • moofer, on 03/19/2008, -3/+1I wonder how many different ways that money will be squandered...
      • Professr, on 03/19/2008, -0/+7THEY'RE CHARGIN' THEIR ANTI-COMCAST LAZER!
  • mydogbailey, on 03/19/2008, -4/+12Can't wait to see how the spectrum is going to be used. WiMax over the US, yeah baby!
    • rpggm, on 03/19/2008, -1/+8verizon won and they are going to c-block us and charge an absurd amount for new services.
    • yabos, on 03/19/2008, -3/+1High hopes. Most likely nothing big will happen with it.
    • Mustard911, on 03/20/2008, -0/+4No company should own it. It's the people's right to use what technology they want. Especially when Media isn't responsible to the truth no longer.
  • Kisama, on 03/19/2008, -39/+12I, for one, welcome our new overlords.
    • djbon2112, on 03/19/2008, -4/+16That meme is old. Please just let it die.
      • carbonbasedunit, on 03/19/2008, -2/+27I for one welcome our new meme killing overlords.
        *ducks*
        • moofer, on 03/19/2008, -1/+3Wouldn't it be great if the auction was won by Soviet Russia?
          • shawnz, on 03/20/2008, -0/+2in soviet russia, auction wins... oh, nevermind.
    • insanebrain, on 03/19/2008, -10/+2Stop using that *****, or I'll become your new overlord.
  • wonderchemist, on 03/19/2008, -20/+102So that pays for what? 3 months in Iraq?
    • DiggLive, on 03/19/2008, -7/+75More like 6 weeks.
    • linuxmage, on 03/19/2008, -26/+12It pays for the spectrum dumb-ass. Why does everything have to go back to politics and/or the war in Iraq?
      • subterfuge, on 03/19/2008, -5/+19your money is in a fire that has been burning in iraq for several years
      • Dumbledorito, on 03/19/2008, -2/+16It's like measuring stuff in football fields; you pick something everyone should be painfully familiar with.
        • grindmygears, on 03/19/2008, -4/+12Be carefull when you say football field. The Europeans here might get confused.
          • Dumbledorito, on 03/19/2008, -1/+2I never did get the hang of the metric system. So it's a six to one ratio for purposes of scoring, isn't it?
          • Tenoq, on 03/20/2008, -0/+2Not to mention the Australians - and then it's dependent on what state in Aus you're talking to. :p
        • shawnz, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1you measure money in iraqwars?
          • Dumbledorito, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1Only for exceptionally large sums. And to be frank, the longer it goes on, the less I can compare it to without using fractions.
    • HealthyElijah, on 03/19/2008, -16/+11Nothing will ever pay for all the innocent lives that have been taken over there and the terrorism our government used on it's own people to justify this horrible act of human injustice.
    • myranttoyou, on 03/19/2008, -4/+13Someone check my math, if this data is true http://digg.com/world_news/U_S_Occupation_of_Iraq_ ...

      This it implies the spectrum is only worth 58.7 days in Iraq. What government bloat and waste of resources...
      • geoffludt, on 03/20/2008, -1/+2Or, with the 2007 Social Security Admin budget of $624 billion, the $19.5 billion would cover like 11 days of Social Security.
    • moofer, on 03/19/2008, -0/+5Sure, if the FCC was waging war in Iraq
    • DaMacGamer, on 03/19/2008, -2/+8How does that have anything to do with this topic?!
    • Davers, on 03/20/2008, -1/+2[random off-topic comment against George Bush]
  • JBravada, on 03/19/2008, -10/+69That's $27,857,142.90 per megahertz
    • MellerTime, on 03/19/2008, -12/+41.21 gigawatts?!
    • impei, on 03/19/2008, -0/+104But only $27.87 per Hertz. Which is pretty good for a one day car rental.
      • MiserJ, on 03/19/2008, -1/+12Doesn't apply if you are under 25 though...
    • furashi, on 03/19/2008, -11/+4That gotta mega hurt....
      • defaultdigger, on 03/19/2008, -3/+23I see what you did there. Please don't do it again.
  • Dumbledorito, on 03/19/2008, -1/+176"Block D failed to meet the reserve."

    Damn greedy eBay "power sellers." Probably wanted 50 bucks for shipping, too...
    • Professr, on 03/19/2008, -0/+7How much IS overnight shipping for a block of spectrum, I wonder...
      • Dumbledorito, on 03/20/2008, -0/+3Dunno, but I bet they charge by the minute.
  • RobotDan, on 03/19/2008, -2/+51Does that mean my Compaq Armada7800 is worth $9,276,428,585.70?
  • surKaz, on 03/19/2008, -3/+47Guess who's the secret winner....*Straightens imaginary tie*..
  • Radigg, on 03/19/2008, -1/+8the FCC has made a tidy sum out of these suckas!
    • altgeeky1, on 03/19/2008, -8/+220 Billion is NOTHING... This will cover about TWO WEEKS of interest payments on the US Federal deficit.

      Not principal... INTEREST. Fourteen days worth.
      That last year I have numbers for is 2005, where 317 Billion was budgeted for interest-only payments, mostly to overseas governments not normally known for philanthropy (China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE now own shares in the US government).

      We're running out of things to sell, my friends.
    • ussoldier, on 03/19/2008, -7/+1What fool of a company would buy this... they could of used a number of any other frequencies for free. A fool and their money... is soon parted...
      • tehbored, on 03/19/2008, -0/+5Not all frequencies are the same.
      • bingobongony, on 03/20/2008, -1/+1What fool of a person would have sex with a 5 year old girl? They could HAVE (not of) had sex with a number of legal girls. A pedophile and his freedom are soon parted.
  • scoot2006, on 03/19/2008, -12/+3What?! Over 9000?!
  • plizard, on 03/19/2008, -2/+25google did say they were bidding up to 20 billion, right?
    • fuhcough, on 03/19/2008, -0/+14i thought they said they'd go up to the reserve but who knows. if they can afford to allow their employees to sleep in designated "sleep pods" then what's another $billion or two...
      • inigomntoya, on 03/19/2008, -0/+9They just wanted to push it over the reserve to get it out of the FCC's hands - they didn't actually want to own it.
  • Acronym, on 03/19/2008, -4/+31I still haven't got a clue what they paid for
    • masfenix, on 03/19/2008, -15/+45Me neither, digg me down but PLEASE someone educate me. My cordless phone runs at 5.4 ghz. My dual core processer is at 2.5 ghz, so whats up with 700 mhz thats like pentium 2.
      • Kornstalx, on 03/19/2008, -1/+65Sorry, but that ^^^ made me ROFL.
      • CATSCEO, on 03/19/2008, -3/+13Dugg up for pure retarded-ness.

        The GHz of your processor has nothing to do with the 700 MHz spectrum. Processor speed and wavelengths are completely different.
      • tehbored, on 03/19/2008, -0/+6Hz measures frequency. In you computer processor, this relates to how fast it can process information. When you're talking about signal frequencies, that's something completely different. Light, radio waves, X-rays, etc are all types of electromagnetic radiation. Photons (energy particles) travel in a wave-like formation. Wavelength (measured in meters) and frequency (measured in cycles per second or "Hertz") are inversely proportional. A wave with frequency of 700MHz falls under the category of microwaves in the EMS (above radio, below infrared). Currently, it is used for certain television broadcasts, but that will end in 2009. Now this is the part I don't get. The companies are bidding on who gets to use the frequencies after they are no longer used for TV.
      • shardmunch, on 03/20/2008, -0/+9If I crammed my cordless phone into my motherboard, I'd finally be able to play Crysis!
    • keyme, on 03/19/2008, -0/+30A radio signal is broadcast on a certain constant(?) frequency.
      To provide something like a cellphone service, you need to get your hands on a RANGE of frequencies.
      In order to use a range of frequencies on a wide (geographical) scale, you need the FCC's approval. When you get the approval, you "own" that range. Anyone else who would broadcast on your range will be considered a pirate.
      Only in this way can a company be assured that their service will be uninterrupted by other parties.
      When many companies want to own a range, the FCC makes an auction. So it happens that 800-700Mhz is the best range available, hence the $19.5Bn bid is pretty much expectable.
      • Stradenko, on 03/19/2008, -1/+3You're half-right.
        In order to legally transmit on *any* frequency in the United States, you need the FCC's approval.
        Fortunately, the FCC rules grant it, for some stuff, as outlined here: http://www.fcc.gov/oet/info/rules/part15/part15-9- ...
      • shawnz, on 03/20/2008, -0/+3"Anyone else who would broadcast on your range will be considered a pirate."

        you mean... a frequency pirate?
    • stickmen, on 03/19/2008, -0/+4Hot air.
    • xburgermoo, on 03/19/2008, -2/+3http://yuxt.com/geek/700MHz
  • darylspong, on 03/19/2008, -29/+5919.5 billion?

    THAT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAND!!!
    • Chebsi, on 03/19/2008, -17/+9Kill this fad.
      • Pryze, on 03/19/2008, -10/+6It's not going to die, so embrace it!
      • Lazydriver, on 03/19/2008, -7/+3DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU V
        • CATSCEO, on 03/19/2008, -9/+2DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU
        • bryik, on 03/19/2008, -6/+1SAGE
      • Dylan47, on 03/20/2008, -3/+2Kill this fag.
    • targetX, on 03/19/2008, -1/+3haha I was about to say the same thing :p Now to watch the vid again....
    • pat25fire, on 03/19/2008, -0/+3I'm not sure what that means, anyone want to explain/ link me please?
    • Suprfire, on 03/19/2008, -1/+5I read the title, and i thought hmmm, they said "It's over! 9000!", WAY WRONG.

      It's over! 700!
      It's over! 9000!?!?!
    • clearwaterlab, on 03/19/2008, -0/+7I'm just surprised it took till the 13th comment for someone to say this!
  • Devrdander, on 03/19/2008, -8/+10is this how they plan on paying for Bush's economic stimulus plan?
    • hexydes, on 03/19/2008, -3/+9We get it, you guys don't like Bush. Can you please keep comments like these out of tech threads? I turned off political stories for a reason.
    • elburro, on 03/20/2008, -1/+0now that's damn funny
  • MJ420, on 03/19/2008, -1/+8When will they announce the winners?
    • MellerTime, on 03/19/2008, -1/+6"the FCC is expected to release the identities of the winning bidders soon. "

      I'd say they don't even know...
  • Kornstalx, on 03/19/2008, -1/+7Oh man, I hope Google got a piece...
    Anyone know when they'll reveal the buyers?
    The article only said "soon".
  • Bggnz, on 03/19/2008, -1/+1So couple of things, Is there a set date on when we'll find out the highest bidder? Whoever bought it... looks like we wont see anything out this till 2010 the earliest. Hope we get something good out of this :-P
  • blindhammer, on 03/19/2008, -1/+6This doesn't even cover the bailout of Bear Stearns.
    • Otto, on 03/19/2008, -1/+5Bear Stearns isn't getting bailed out. They got bought up by JP Morgan. Bear Stearns is no more.
      • malcolmlo, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1Wrong. The Fed has arranged to help with bear stearn loans. They in essence are bailing out the bear stearns JP Morgan just bought. Technically both are bailing bair stearns out.
  • mediaspree, on 03/19/2008, -1/+93Please, oh please, free Universal Google Wifi!
    • HonoredMule, on 03/19/2008, -10/+1I do NOT want my search provider/advertiser to be my ISP too. This data cache is all mined out.
  • BigManOnCampus, on 03/19/2008, -2/+50Now, please use that 20 billion on education.
    Politicians, stop laughing at me.
    • HealthyElijah, on 03/19/2008, -1/+14Will most likely go straight into the politicians pockets. :(
      • AdHaR, on 03/19/2008, -0/+9so that they can pay off their bills for high-class (?) hookers...
    • ExRe, on 03/19/2008, -2/+920 billion to education would mean 19.95 billion to people running the schools (who have no contact with the kids), and some of that $50m might be seen sometime in the next 20 years.
      • BigManOnCampus, on 03/19/2008, -2/+3You are correct. I should have said, now, politicians, please use that $20 billion on paying teachers working the front line on education.
        • sexybobo, on 03/19/2008, -0/+4Please use that $20 billion to improve our children's education.
          Would probable be better.
          There are a lot of other expenses that directly effect the quality of educations besides properly paying teachers or paying more for better qualified teachers.
          • sexybobo, on 03/19/2008, -0/+3*probably
            *affect
            Curse you English language.
      • nmnnotmyname, on 03/19/2008, -0/+1Yeah, well, if it goes to the schools, I doubt they will get improved. It would probably end up being in someone's pocket along the way.
  • Ephilei, on 03/19/2008, -0/+16Ah! Just tell me who won the C Block! The suspense is killing me.
  • Marglar, on 03/19/2008, -0/+8I am willing to bet one of the major cell phone carriers purchased it. This thing has/had huge potential to do some really cool things with open access WiFi, but I am seriously having any doubts of positive things coming out of it if Verizon won.
    • Rabdsquirlz, on 03/19/2008, -5/+0better Verizon than Comcast
      • HealthyElijah, on 03/19/2008, -12/+2So you like to vote for the lesser of two evils? Thats like saying it's better to have Hillary than McCain, when really Ron Paul is my choice (Google).
        • G-RaZoR, on 03/19/2008, -3/+9Ron Paul is no Google. Ron Paul is more of an Ask.com
        • nmnnotmyname, on 03/19/2008, -0/+5Yay for stupid political debates that never end.
    • Suprfire, on 03/19/2008, -1/+1Like "Verizon releases new wi-fi network, faster than its current FiOS technology. And its free!"

      /*****
    • Dylan47, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1I want my grip computing
    • Marglar, on 03/21/2008, -0/+0As suspected, AT&T and Verizon were the winners. Damn I'm good.
  • LightningCount, on 03/19/2008, -3/+27Who needs the Patriot Act when you can just tap right into people's brains? I hope Google did get it, that way I can index my prefrontal cortex for faster searching.
  • dacrazydude, on 03/19/2008, -3/+9I don't know what this means....
  • insanebrain, on 03/19/2008, -15/+919.5 billion . .how many days of Iraq war is that ?
    • tendonut, on 03/19/2008, -4/+10Days? We're probably talking hours.
    • myranttoyou, on 03/19/2008, -1/+8See above
    • ArchiTech, on 03/19/2008, -4/+2Whatever, elitists need more money to buy their manmade islands in Dubai. And new shiny shoes for the "benefits" they will be attending to cure Awareness.
  • poidh, on 03/19/2008, -0/+2Is this like in the UK where the companies paid over the odds for mobile phone licenses then the customers got screwed so that the companies could recoup the cost of buying the licenses?

    I remember at the time, the Government hailed it as a great tax on the phone companies, but in reality it was an extra huge tax on the consumer.
  • austenw, on 03/19/2008, -2/+24Please, oh please let Google be the winner.
  • cejones, on 03/19/2008, -0/+7So what does the FCC use this 19.5 B for? Out of curiosity does it actually go towards anything useful, or does it pay for their gold plated toilet seats?
    If one looks at the US government and ranks each department in terms of incoming revenue... I assume the IRS is number one... is the FCC now number 2?

    Chris
    • theratdotus, on 03/19/2008, -2/+1good question.
    • G-RaZoR, on 03/19/2008, -0/+4IRS isn't a department silly. IRS is a branch of the Department of Treasury.
    • dn11, on 03/19/2008, -0/+2coupons for digital TV tuners for one.
    • tricks574, on 03/20/2008, -0/+0Does any money the government has get used in a useful and effecient manner?
  • HealthyElijah, on 03/19/2008, -0/+9Google has been surprising everyone since they hit the internet. Yet people forget history so quickly it is ridiculous.
    • ExRe, on 03/19/2008, -2/+2I'd imagine that is because most people have far too much to worry about now and for the future to worry about what happened in the past.
      • nmnnotmyname, on 03/19/2008, -0/+3History repeats itself.
      • HonoredMule, on 03/19/2008, -0/+1That worry about now and the future comes from the ignorance caused by not paying attention to the past. It's a vicious cycle.
    • LightSpeed4, on 03/20/2008, -0/+0they havent suprised anyone who isnt a google fanboy. Oh wow same search interface for 10 years. At least other companies are evolving in search, including yahoo (search assistant, panama ad technology) and microsoft
  • ninjadave, on 03/19/2008, -0/+7Google had publicy announced it would only bid up to the threshold that would require the winner to open up the spectrum to all devices. I don't think they bid past this point...
    • rnolds, on 03/19/2008, -0/+4Doesn't that depend on who the bidder they were competing with was? If say Apple (unlikely) bid up to $19billion and weren't going to open it up to all devices only their Jesus phone; Google would have had to bid $19.5... no?
      • skyshock1, on 03/19/2008, -4/+2The problem with that analogy is that Apple's Jesus phone has done wonders for Google in terms of additional hits/adclicks it's provided for Google, so I wouldn't really say it's a competitor of Google's, but rather a supplement - even though Google plans to release their own Android phones later on.
      • hexydes, on 03/19/2008, -0/+5Incorrect. The FCC set the terms for use of the spectrum (including partially opening it up), and set a minimum amount that the bid had to reach for it to go through. If it went under that amount, they would re-do the auction, removing the terms of openness. If it passed that minimum amount, then the winning bidder would get the spectrum, but under the original terms of the auction (including partially opening the spectrum).

        So Google simply said they were going to bid up to that minimum amount. My guess is that they did that, and only that. Someone else likely came along and bought it up.
    • skyshock1, on 03/19/2008, -0/+34.5 billion is a hell of a bluff my friend, doesn't matter how much market cap they have.
  • theratdotus, on 03/19/2008, -0/+9wow, digg gets tech news a day late...

    engadget thinks verizon won it. i hope google won so its not bought and buried.
    • hexydes, on 03/19/2008, -0/+3I don't believe it can be "buried"; one of the stipulations was that it was to be used in X amount of time (five years or something), or it would be re-auctioned back up.

      Now, that being said, it doesn't mean the winner can't just put some junk service on it (i.e. an IM component to cell service) and call it "used".
    • rpggm, on 03/19/2008, -5/+1verizon did win.
  • flarn2006, on 03/19/2008, -10/+2Leaked footage of auction showing who won:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
  • blakespot, on 03/19/2008, -5/+5Holy retro-disappointment!! When I first read this title I assumed some lucky collector picked up a hot-rod, tricked-out ZX Spectrum with a Z-80 running at 700MHz!! What a find that would be!
  • dbirling, on 03/19/2008, -0/+1I wonder if they bought it online... you know to avoid sales tax!
    • mink78, on 03/19/2008, -1/+1It's called a capital investment. They do get a tax break.
  • dizilbdog, on 03/19/2008, -0/+20Please Please don't let it be Verizon that Won!!!!!
  • perspicuity777, on 03/19/2008, -1/+1Everyone knows it's over...Who won? That would be news
  • chesscat, on 03/19/2008, -0/+16Second place: A set of steak knives.
  • Flatlineskillz, on 03/19/2008, -7/+1Im hoping for either google for free wifi or AT&T for better service when I get an iPhone!
    • LightSpeed4, on 03/20/2008, -1/+0you are one ignorant google fanboy.
  • jimjoke, on 03/19/2008, -0/+6Can't wait to jam some of that spectrum with my home-made oscillator!
  • cgoff, on 03/19/2008, -1/+2Word in investment circles is that Verizon won the bid.
    • stix213, on 03/19/2008, -1/+2Word from Verizon stock owning Pump & Dumpers is that Verizon won the bid!!! Everyone buy now!
    • rpggm, on 03/19/2008, -1/+1yup I heard it this morning. verizon won.
  • crapuccino, on 03/19/2008, -2/+6So ... that's about 20 euros these days?
  • digjam, on 03/19/2008, -1/+3ATT already has the chunk of 700Mhz it bought from a Hawaiin company in late 07..and if Verizon drops out due to a miracle..that leaves out only one big player Google.... hope my theory is right and Google comes out the Winner!
    • hexydes, on 03/19/2008, -2/+1One player that you know of, anyway...
  • malcolmlo, on 03/19/2008, -0/+11Forgive me if someone already covered this but. For those of you who dont know...

    The 700mhz frequency they are referring to is a national digital information delivery method. It was previously owned and used by broadcast companies to broadcast television channels (remember the old days of the antennae on top of your TV?). Due to newer technology being used by TV companies, they are now auctioning off this "frequency". Lots of companies are interested because not only TV can be transmitted through this, but potentially even the internet too. So think wireless internet in your home even if you live in a rural area.

    However from what I have read it may not be as affective for "internet surfing" and might be used for lots of other purposes too.

    It willk be interesting to see who won the frequency and what they plan to do with it as there could be alot of different things.

    http://gigaom.com/2007/03/14/700mhz-explained/

    Also the government took a chunk of it to use for public safety purposes. I would imagine like weather warnings and that kind of stuff.
    • Laughto, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1Thanks. I will be honest I had no idea what the article was about.
  • tomis, on 03/19/2008, -1/+5The winner was probably blackwater.
  • robbob, on 03/19/2008, -3/+2Probably Clearchannel got it. They own everything, including the govt.
    • stix213, on 03/19/2008, -0/+1And this whole time I thought Skull & Bones owned the government.... Silly me
      • Hurricane, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1Silly People, the government is the Free Masons.
  • stix213, on 03/19/2008, -1/+7I WON!!!!! Now to find that 19.5 billion $$$...... Hmmmmm where did I put it...... crap!
  • Sawta, on 03/19/2008, -0/+1I still wish that it was leased, rather than handed over completely :/
    • Hurricane, on 03/20/2008, -0/+1Good point.
      Full control of such a valuable piece of radio frequency real-estate will undoubtedly hinder development of the resource.
  • phenolholic, on 03/19/2008, -0/+3i don't get it. why are these companies paying tons of money to use spectrum's? talk about big brother and communistic control. what gives the government the right to "own" these spectrum's and sell it like a hookers ass
  • goat2, on 03/19/2008, -0/+1who GETS the money? who "owns" that spectrum? thats what i want to know, who is going to be paid here.
  • johnnyrocket, on 03/19/2008, -1/+1Nice, that'll pay for about two hours of the Iraq war.
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