開宗明義
2007/7/21晨先讀WSJ 關於 Google 公司 上書FCC談無線頻道拍賣的要求，開始走向華盛頓爭取商機和同情。因為牽涉到政治、經濟、科技，算是很重要的一役。
我想，或許該記一下這公司的「所見所聞」。當然，我是外行，所以取名「管窺 Google 公司」。中文公司簡介請參考Wikipedia 的（最好再看英文版，資料較新）。
WSJ的摘譯:
該 公司稱﹐如果FCC要求在此次無線頻譜競拍中拍得大頭的競標者須允許用戶使用任何便攜式無線設備和軟件登入它的網絡﹐並向無線轉售商及其他服務提供商開放 其網絡﹐那麼它將參加競拍。FCC為此次拍賣制定的規則草案要求﹐競標中的獲勝者須使自己的網絡向各種不同的設備和軟件以及服務敞開大門﹐但谷歌依然擔心 這一規定的強制性和明確性不夠。
此外﹐谷歌還希望那些拍得無線頻譜使用權的公司至少能在一定程度上實行批發式經營﹐將自己的無線網絡向希望提供無線服務的其他公司開放﹐而FCC目前公佈的拍賣規則草案並不包括這一內容。
現 在還不清楚谷歌參與競拍的這些先決條件能否得到滿足﹐這些條件是谷歌首席執行長埃里克•施密特(Eric Schmidt)在上週五致FCC主席凱文•馬丁(Kevin Martin)的一封信中提出的。據知情人士說﹐如果谷歌在拍賣中獲勝﹐它不大可能自己建設一個無線通訊網絡﹐而會將拍得的無線頻譜提供給那些有意與它合 作建設無線通訊網絡的公司使用。
谷歌一直表示﹐無線互聯網服務和廣告業務屬於該公司首要的商業機會﹐並要求承載這些服務的無線互聯網業能加大競爭。"
Google Goes to Washington
Google's chief executive's letter to the F.C.C. (google.com)
ULL STORY
Google Pledges to Spend
$4.6 Billion on FCC Auction
WASHINGTON -- Google Inc. upped the ante in the high-stakes debate over how the rules should be structured for the upcoming spectrum auction.
The Internet company has pledged to "commit a minimum of $4.6 billion to bidding" in the spectrum auction if the Federal Communications Commission agrees to set the rules for the sale so that they are favorable to Google.
In a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that if the FCC agrees that whoever wins a large chunk of the spectrum in the auction must operate it on a wholesale basis, the company would participate in the auction.
Earlier this year, Google put forward a four-point plan, advocating what it called four open-access principles it wants attached to a section of 22 megahertz of the spectrum. The company argued that such conditions are necessary to give a new competitor a leg up in entering the broadband market, which is dominated by the large telephone and cable companies.
So far, Mr. Martin has come halfway, proposing that the spectrum have two of the four conditions attached. But crucially, he has not agreed to the wholesale condition, which Google views as being a deal breaker for it. There is nothing preventing any company from operating spectrum it controls on a wholesale basis.
Google and other hi-tech companies such as eBay Inc.'s Internet-based phone service Skype have argued that without such a condition, however, potential new entrants to the broadband market would be outbid for the spectrum by incumbents such as Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc.
In a post on Google's corporate blog, Chris Sacca, head of special initiatives at Google, wrote that "it takes more than just ideas and rhetoric if you want to help bring the Internet to everyone."
"So today, we're putting consumers' interests first, and putting our money where our principles are - to the tune of $4.6 billion," he wrote. In effect, Google is backing up its aggressive lobbying with a firm commitment to take part in the auction if it gets its way.
There has been considerable uncertainty among FCC commissioners that if they structured the auction to benefit a potential newcomer to the wireless broadband market, they wanted some evidence that such a player would enter the market.
In an interview last week, Mr. Martin said that he was opposed to mandating wholesale access as it might keep other potential bidders out of the auction. In order to get his rules in place, Mr. Martin needs a majority of the five commissioners to vote with him. He can almost certainly count on the vote of fellow Republican Deborah Taylor Tate, who rarely votes differently from him.
But both Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein are known to favor the wholesale concept, while the third Republican, Robert McDowell, is against open access altogether. Google's statement could potentially provide the Democrats with significantly more leverage in negotiations with Mr. Martin's office.
The $4.6 billion figure is the base price or reserve price that the FCC has placed on the 22 megahertz of spectrum in question. The final price tag could end up being higher if a number of bidders emerge.
In the blog, Mr. Sacca said that now that the company has said it would spend at least that on the spectrum, the "FCC can return its attention to adopting openness principles for the benefit of consumers."
Opponents of open access have argued that Google only wants the conditions so that companies that want to use the spectrum to build a traditional wireless network would be unlikely to participate in the auction, thereby driving the price down.
They point to the fact that Google, with its $160 billion market capitalization and more than $12 billion in cash, could afford to bid in an unfettered auction if it decided it wanted to enter the broadband market.
Google's share price has taken a hit over the last two days. Since Thursday's opening, the shares have fallen from $553 to around $514 in recent trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, after the company reported lower earnings for the second quarter than the market had expected. (See related story.)
The two principles Mr. Martin has agreed to are that any handheld device could be attached to the broadband network built on the spectrum and no limits could be placed on the software applications used over the network. Currently, wireless network owners like Verizon and AT&T tightly control both the devices and software that can be used over their networks.
Thursday, AT&T issued a statement in which it endorsed Mr. Martin's plan, saying it struck a decent compromise between what Google wanted and what it, ideally, would have wanted.
In total, 60 megahertz of spectrum will be sold off as television broadcasters move to a digital from an analog signal. It is widely seen as being the best spectrum to ever come available for commercial purposes given its strong propagation characteristics.
The FCC will likely set the final auction rules in the next month.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Martin's office said she had no comment on the Google letter, while no one was immediately available to comment from AT&T or Verizon.
Write to Corey Boles at corey.boles@dowjones.com
紐約時報也有一篇
Google Pushes for Rules to Aid Wireless Plans
F.C.C. Hands Google a Partial Victory
SAN FRANCISCO, July 31 — The Federal Communications Commission moved cautiously Tuesday toward creating a more open national wireless broadband network, handing a partial victory to Google, which was pushing for more competition in cellphone services.
The agency approved rules for an auction of broadcast spectrum that its chairman, Kevin J. Martin, said would promote new consumer services. The rules will let customers use any phone and software they want on networks using about one-third of the spectrum to be auctioned.
The F.C.C. did not approve a provision that would have required the winner of the auction to sell access to its network on a wholesale basis to other companies. Google favored the rule as a way to hasten competition and innovation in the cellphone industry, a market it is considering.
While the language of the ruling has not been made public, it appears that any company that buys the new spectrum will have to leave it open to devices it does not approve or control. If, for instance, Verizon were to buy spectrum, consumers would have to pay Verizon for access to its network but they could use devices of their own choosing on it.
At present, the carriers decide what devices are used on their networks and therefore control many of the services and software available to consumers. The carriers contend this lets them control the quality of the customer’s experience.
The ruling does not affect the existing spectrum, controlled by major companies like Verizon Wireless. But it appears to signal a shift in how policy makers and, in turn, companies, will approach access to and control of future wireless networks.
The ruling did not go far enough for some consumer activist groups, but even those groups applauded parts of it.
In recent weeks, Google and other technology interests pressed the commission to create an open-access wireless network — in contrast to today’s closed cellular networks — and to permit owners of the spectrum to sell portions of it wholesale to other companies. That would loosen the carriers’ grip on service offerings and might also open the door to new entrants like Google.
The 700-megahertz wireless band has been referred to as the “last beachfront property” in the radio spectrum. It is being made available for new digital wireless services, including emergency communications, by television broadcasters moving to digital television transmission in February 2009. By law, the auction must start no later than Jan. 28, 2008. It is expected to raise $15 billion or more for the federal government.
Google called the decision an indication of progress at the F.C.C. The agency adopted two of the four openness standards that Google proposed this year, including open access to software applications and devices.
“The Federal Communications Commission made real, if incomplete, progress for consumers this afternoon,” said Richard Whitt, Google’s Washington telecommunications and media counsel.
In trying to influence the commission debate, Google had said it would bid at least $4.6 billion if the F.C.C. approved all its proposed rules. However, Mr. Whitt said a Google bid was still not out of the question.
Google’s efforts also drew attention to the debate over the pace of innovation in the wireless market.
Speaking before the F.C.C. on Tuesday, Jason Devitt, co-founder and chief executive of Skydeck, a Silicon Valley wireless content firm, said the cellular phone industry had failed to innovate. “Ten years and we have ring tones,” he said.
The F.C.C. tried to strike a balance between the interest groups, Mr. Martin said in a telephone interview: “The commission needs to decide what is in the public interest, not what one company advocates.”
Public interest groups and Silicon Valley technologists said they were disappointed with the ruling. Public interest groups said the $4.6 billion minimum auction price set by the F.C.C. might discourage bidders. The rules say that if the reserve auction price is not met, the open-access provisions adopted by the F.C.C. will be dropped in later bidding.
The meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., was delayed into the afternoon because of last-minute negotiations over the open-access provision, an industry executive said. The limited open-access agreement resulted from a compromise between Mr. Martin, a Republican, and two Democratic commissioners, Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein, who favored the wholesale rule that Google proposed.
Congressional leaders applauded the action.“This gives Google a chance to step up to the plate and it can create a revolution in the telecommunications market,” said Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the House Telecommunications and Internet subcommittee.
The nation’s largest telecommunications carriers were not that vocal in response to Tuesday’s decision. “We don’t really have anything to say about this,” said Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless.
AT&T’s wireless unit said the FCC “appears to have struck a reasonable balance between the competing interests debating the Google Plan.”
AT&T also said the ruling appears to force Google or other would-be competitors to bid on spectrum, rather than to have the opportunity to lease it from other carriers. “We commend the FCC for adopting this approach rather than stacking the deck in Google’s favor, which would limit competing bids and effectively force wireless carriers to alter their competitive business models to Google’s liking,” AT&T said.
The major carriers have not committed to bid at the auction, which means they may express any discontent by refusing to participate.
Other potential new entrants said they were disappointed by some of the rules and by the minimum price set by the F.C.C.
“As a practical matter, the F.C.C. has laid down the gauntlet to the technology industry and said the following: ‘If you want a wireless market that serves your purposes, you’re going to have to pay for it, and you’re going to have to pay a lot,” said Reed Hundt, a former F.C.C. chairman who has founded Frontline Wireless, a national digital wireless network.
Mr. Hundt said he would continue to look for ways to bid in the auctions.
Public interest groups were also qualified in their endorsement of the commission decision. “Consumers should be pleased with part of the F.C.C.’s decision today,” said Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, an advocacy and education organization that focuses on intellectual property issues.
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