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Google has recently said it would bid on the 700MHz spectrum only if the FCC guarantees certain open-access principles, including open access for companies wanting to buy wireless capacity wholesale. Does this mean that Google won't bid on spectrum if the rules aren't adopted?
Sacca: To be clear, what we said was not exactly that. What we said was that there had been some concerns that somehow imposing these openness principles on the spectrum might diminish its value at auction. And we wanted to reassure the FCC that embracing a path of full openness in the interest of users and the interest of consumers would not reduce the total revenue of the auction. And we wanted to put our money where our mouth is, and we are putting our money where our principles are. So we committed to spending a minimum of $4.6 billion in the auction, if they adopted all four principles.
So it's not out of the question that Google would participate in the auction, even if the FCC doesn't adopt all four principles?
Sacca: We are deeply committed to changing this industry for the benefit of end users.
Do you think FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's proposal, which includes open-access requirements for handsets and software applications but not for wholesale, goes far enough in ensuring competition in the market?
Sacca: I don't. But I am proud of the chairman for taking some pretty significant steps. And I think what we have seen is that he has support on both sides of the aisle to embrace these openness principles.
It was amazing to see at the hearing last week Democrats and Republicans both cheering efforts to correct some of the deficiencies in this market. Users are unhappy. They don't have choice in software. They don't have choice in where to go on the Internet. They don't have the choice of which handset to use. And the costs for service have been too high.
We think, in addition to the principles of open handsets and software, it's important to embrace wholesale as well, because wholesale will provide the opportunity for other smaller entrants to come up and be meaningful competitors.
When I saw that Verizon Wireless and AT&T said they would support Chairman Martin's proposal, it raised a red flag to me. I mean, you know as well as I do, these guys don't give up any fight that they think could damage their businesses. So it made me think that maybe Martin's proposal wouldn't have much impact on the market anyway. What do you think?
Sacca: I think your instincts are probably right. I think we do have to question when Verizon and AT&T jump to accept any proposal. We have to look at what their ulterior motives are. And that is why it was great to see Congress and so many activists be clear about the need for specificity and the need for timeliness and the need for clear enforcement for any of these openness principles.
But one thing that everyone has been underestimating here is the will of the American people. We have seen so much press and coverage on this issue that we're starting to understand the frustration with mobile services that American consumers feel. You can't really find anyone who is satisfied with their mobile service right now. When you start talking to people, and they start to see the issues at stake, that is when we start to see the impetus for real change. I expect the change to impact well beyond the 700MHz auction as consumers become more aware of their options and start to demand improvement.
Chairman Martin has rarely proposed any regulation that could hurt the phone companies. Do you think his proposal was an empty attempt to show that he cares about consumers?
Sacca: No, I think he is trying to balance a lot of different interests. And so far, I think he has done a pretty good job. But as more and more people come up to speed on the nuances of this debate, I think we are starting to see consumers feel more empowered to express themselves and to demand the service that they really deserve.
Does the 700MHz auction plan fit into Google's citywide Wi-Fi plans at all? For example, is this a way to knit Google's citywide networks into a bigger nationwide network?
Sacca: I started the citywide Wi-Fi project not to become an ISP (Internet service provider), but because we saw that entrepreneurs around the country were willing to take the entrepreneurial risk to build networks and grant customers a meaningful alternative choice of access in what for most of the country is a duopoly but for half the country is just one or zero broadband access providers.
And yet incumbents were suing the cities, who were collaborating with entrepreneurs to try to build Wi-Fi access across their cities. I was frustrated by that, so I said, "Let's go ahead and show the country that these networks work. And we can act as a model to hopefully inspire development in other places." So far, we have seen 400-plus cities build out these networks.
Google has a lot of initiatives going on around wireless. What is its strategy when it comes to mobile? Does it differ from the company's traditional Internet strategy?
Sacca: The company's mission statement is to organize all the world's information, make it universally accessible and useful. So mobile really homes in on the universally accessible piece, which is answering questions like, what information do you need when you're not at your desk or when you're not tethered to your DSL or cable connection? What device will you use to access it? What are the input or output constraints on that device? And how can we improve and tailor our services for that environment?
So you've seen us launch some really cool mapping stuff with Google Mobile Maps, which embeds local search, traffic and driving directions into a mapping format that is really accessible on a mobile device. And I think it's been shown to be a pretty valuable service in that context. So we will continue to pursue that strategy.
The universally accessible part also means that we are trying to do what we can to remove obstacles that are standing in the way of making the Internet available to the largest number of people possible. The technology is there to make the Internet available to everyone today. But for various reasons, whether commercial or political, it hasn't happened yet. We are trying to look one by one at those obstacles to see where we can have an impact to make the Internet available to everyone. 
See more CNET content tagged:
Chris Sacca, auction, spectrum, Google Inc., battle
Insiders say that Google has no chance to win the spectrum. This may be because Martin arranged the spectrum to be partitioned into geographic regions (which lets the telcos block a national network simply by winning a single region). Or it may be because the FCC is just as broken as Congress.
Either way, it will take a miracle for Google to win the spectrum.
1. The Lower Band 22Mhz he will make open and spread out to allow local service providers to bid on the spectrum in their markets.
2. 10Mhz set aside for Public Safety in the Lower Bands.
3. And the remaining 28 Mhz in the Upper Bands, which is the premium bands (minimal congestion in that space) which the big Carriers need to win.
If Google wants to guarantee a nationwide slice they need to step up and compete with the CellCO in this Upper Band spectrum, because as "directorblue" commented, the CellCo and RBOC will keep Google from winning the 22Mhz by bidding and winning one area and keep them from getting a nationwide license.
WOuld love to see Google fool everyone and bid and win a nationwide license and then open it upf for wholesale.
Everyone other then Version Wireless and AT&T will win, even the FCC who will get their $15-20Billion out of this bloody auction.
Jacomo
Make what difference you can.
- Spoken like a true politician...
- by sickofspin August 1, 2007 1:11 PM PDT
- "Prices are too high.... Big business has ulterior motives.... Make the Internet available to everyone...." Quick, somebody give Sacca a baby to kiss.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(9 Comments)It's a good thing we have Google out there to protect us and make the world a better place for us. (queue patriotic music)