auction

Google may be grabbing the spotlight in the upcoming auction of 700MHz wireless spectrum, but it's not the only nontraditional player that wants a valuable piece of the airwaves.

The Federal Communications late Tuesday released the names of applicants that plan to bid in the much-anticipated January auction, and Google competitors may include cable operator Cablevision, mobile chipmaker Qualcomm, and satellite TV provider EchoStar.

That Google was among the 266 companies filing an application by the December 3 deadline was no surprise. Google said earlier this year that it was willing to put up at least $4.6 billion for licenses … Read more

Google is lining up financing to bid on wireless spectrum in the Federal Communication Commission's upcoming 700MHz auction, and it's already built a small high-speed wireless network at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., to test out what it could do with the spectrum, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The Journal cited sources saying the company is planning on bidding in the auction, set to take place early next year. Google has obtained a test license from the FCC that it's using to test technology on a small wireless network on its campus, the article said. … Read more

Federal Communications Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday threw his support behind Google's Open Handset Alliance.

On Monday, Google officially unveiled Android, its new mobile phone software. It also announced the Open Handset Alliance. Thirty-four companies have said they will join the alliance, which will work on developing applications on the Android platform. Members of the alliance include mobile handset makers HTC and Motorola, mobile operators T-Mobile and Sprint-Nextel, and chipmaker Qualcomm.

It should come as little surprise that Martin would support the alliance. Earlier this year, he made open devices a requirement in the rules for the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction, … Read more

Verizon Wireless' court fight against new federal rules that require "open access" on some forthcoming wireless networks appears to be no more.

The No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier on Tuesday filed for "voluntary dismissal" of its September petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, according to the court docket. The filing for dismissal was reported earlier Wednesday by Dow Jones/Associated Press.

At issue are Federal Communications Commission rules for an upcoming auction of 700MHz wireless spectrum, also known as the analog television band. That band is scheduled to … Read more

The annual Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., is usually a place where car collectors and enthusiasts gather to admire scores of vintage Jaguars, Mercedes, Cadillacs and other fine specimens of automobiles made in years past.

Those types of cars will still be there when the event rolls around again in January, but there will be one rather disturbing lot that's bound to steal the show: a 40-foot-high, 31-ton mechanical dinosaur that throws 20-foot flames from its nostrils.

The Robosaurus, created 17 years ago by Monster Robots in Southern California, will be sold with no minimum price during the auction, … Read more

In an effort to create a greater sense of community, eBay on Wednesday plans to add a social-networking environment intended to bring together buyers and sellers with similar interests.

eBay Neighborhoods will allow users to post photos and reviews and offer tips and feedback in a beefed-up version of its text-based discussion forums. As of late Tuesday, there were more than 600 groups, with topics ranging from the Dallas Cowboys to crocheting to comic books. Users can also suggest new neighborhoods for creation.

Once users join a neighborhood, a My Neighborhoods function is added to the My eBay section.

The … Read more

First with Net neutrality and now with so-called "open access" rules for forthcoming wireless networks, there seems to be no end to the discord between Google and Verizon.

The latest evidence of tensions surfaced when Verizon Wireless this week quietly filed a petition asking a federal appeals court in Washington to "review" rules set to apply to an auction next January of the coveted 700-megahertz wireless spectrum. Earlier this summer, the Federal Communications Commission decreed that consumers must be allowed to use whichever mobile devices or applications they please on about a third of that chunk. … Read more

Apple is considering bidding on the government's upcoming wireless spectrum auction in January, according to a Business Week story.

The story, which cites two unnamed sources, said that "Steve Jobs & Co. have studied the implications of joining the auction, which will be held Jan. 16." But at this point at least one of Business Week's sources says that Apple is leaning away from participating in the auction, the story said.

The spectrum auction scheduled to take place in January 2008 will allocate wireless licenses for spectrum in the 700MHz band that is being vacated as a result of the switch to digital TV. … Read more

WASHINGTON--In a partial political win for Google, federal regulators on Tuesday ruled that whoever buys a portion of a prime chunk of wireless spectrum must allow Americans to use whatever mobile devices and applications they please.

As expected, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved that requirement as part of broader rules governing an auction of the coveted 700 mHz band set to occur by next year.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said he was "committed to ensuring that the fruits of wireless innovation swiftly pass into the hands of consumers." He added that he recognizes the rules are … Read more