As expected the FCC has approved Chairman Kevin Martin's open access provision for 22 MHz of the 62 MHz of spectrum that will be up for auction early next year. The open access condition, championed by Google and consumer groups, requires the owners of those airwaves to allow any device, using any software to connect to the network.
Although this may affect the future of wireless networks for consumers, it will not change current carriers' position of limiting which devices and applications are allowed to use their services.
The FCC did not hand Google all of its demands, however. The tech giant was pushing for more provisions that it said would increase innovation and competition within the wireless industry, one of which would have required the spectrum licensee to resell access on its network to competitors.
The FCC also set auction rules for the creation of a shared public/private network, hoping that it will solve communication issues for public safety agencies. The commission set aside 10 MHz for the public safety network.
Votes for the open access provision were not unanimous. Commissioner Robert McDowell dissented on the open access provision. Deborah Taylor Tate also expressed concerns about open access requirements, although she did not vote against it.
According to a report in The New York Times, Google said the FCC's decision showed signs of "progress," but did not say whether or not it was planning on bidding on the spectrum. Carriers also have been mostly mum about the finally released rules. A spokesman for Verizon told the Times that the company didn't have much to say about the decision. However, AT&T applauded the commission for not "stacking the deck in Google's favor."
The FCC did not release the full text of the rules, which is what carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, as well as Google, are waiting for to determine whether they will be in or out on the bidding.