The always entertaining Scott Cleland has calculated Google’s take from the 700Mhz auction at $7 billion. It seems he’s used a fair method for calculating the value lost to taxpayers due to Google’s preferred “open access” condition. (Cleland’s conclusions beyond that are, again, good entertainment.)
Keep in mind that Google’s “take” is money taken from taxpayers, not yet money collected by Google. But it could easily get to be that much if its “Android” mobile operating system and many of the communications and transactions on it accrue to Google’s benefit.
I like the idea of an open wireless network and would like to see it happen. I just don’t think that any company should enjoy windfall profits from such a network coming into being. Google could have created an open network by paying full price for the spectrum in an open auction rather than by gaming the regulatory system.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.