Washington (DC) - Google this week began a new push in Washington, lobbying for more airwaves and bandwidth access for wireless Internet.  It's part of the online giant's push to create a new standard of wireless Web access.

Google says it wants to create a platform called WiFi 2.0, a wireless high-speed Internet network that would be loosely regulated and be more cost-effective than the current offerings.

It said the new network would have "data rates in the gigabits per second."  Google head counsel in DC Rick Whit said that the service could be accessible in new devices by next year, if lawmakers are willing to allow it.

The move comes after the country's huge auction over 700 megahertz communications.  The FCC required that part of this spectrum be able to run an open network for wireless devices, which is key to some of Google's future plans.

However, Google also hoped the auction would bring in more broadband competition, but with Verizon and AT&T as the big winners in the spectrum bidding, that didn't really happen.  So Google is now trying to get through Congress directly.

At issue is a bundle of unused spectrum currently grouped in with the country's TV signals.  This so-called "white space" spectrum could be used to create a high-speed online network, contends Google.

Make Google pay for it

Mar 25, 2008 11:28     

I'll be ticked if the FCC lets Google get this spectrum for free. Google stopped bidding on the 700Mhz spectrum because they claimed they got the open standard they wanted anyway. Now they want spectrum for free since they couldn't get 700 for cheap. I say make they pay for if they want it. Google stands to make billions off this. Tax payers should get something for it too.
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Google ads if they buy it

Mar 25, 2008 12:31     

Just speculation, but if Google pays for the block themselves, I see access having advertising added in constantly. If it's free to all, then we won't have to worry about it.
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You don't get it

Mar 25, 2008 19:20     

The geeks are in charge at Google. I don't care if we give them the whole DoD budget. Every dime those folks get gets reinvested in new services that benefit society. This isn't Exxon-Mobil or AT&T. They're opening up free (save some innocuous ads) services to people all over the world that you know full well that other media and/or service giants would never let out the door with out a pound of flesh, if at all. Google's 700Mhz deal opened up the spectrum to entities both big and small rather than letting the Ma Bells horde it. Now they wish to get gigabit wifi rolled out en'mass in a country whose broadband service is made laughable by third-world countries and you're whining about it? Whose side are you on anyway?

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You don't get it

Mar 25, 2008 19:21     

The geeks are in charge at Google. I don't care if we give them the whole DoD budget. Every dime those folks get gets reinvested in new services that benefit society. This isn't Exxon-Mobil or AT&T. They're opening up free (save some innocuous ads) services to people all over the world that you know full well that other media and/or service giants would never let out the door with out a pound of flesh, if at all. Google's 700Mhz deal opened up the spectrum to entities both big and small rather than letting the Ma Bells horde it. Now they wish to get gigabit wifi rolled out en'mass in a country whose broadband service is made laughable by third-world countries and you're whining about it? Whose side are you on anyway?

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@ Nethemas

Mar 26, 2008 11:04     

couldnt have said it better my self hope Google gets what they want then we (the consumer) wins
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Re: You don't get it

Mar 26, 2008 11:29     

Your a complete and utter moron if you believe that. a) google has 14.22 billion dollars in cash. b) google sends 1/3 of it's PROFIT on operations including R&D. Which is average for a fortune 500 company. c) every "free" google service is used to promote more advertising, hence increasing their profits! Google is a money making company and while the act like the nice innovative little company that only does good, it's a complete facade. Google is just like M$, $ony, ATT, GE, and any other fortune 500 company. They just use a different business strategy. Google is in it to make them and their share holders money. Plain and simple.

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