Brian Dolan over at FierceWireless wrote a very interesting editorial today.
Now I can get as tired as the next guy with the media’s preoccupation with the big G. But I think Brian is on to something. He posits that rather than actually wanting to win any of the spectrum in the FCC auction, Google is participating to ensure that the C block bidding reaches the reserve price of $4.6B, which triggers the open access provisions. Similarly, Google is now reported to be part of a joint venture that Sprint and Clearwire will tap to help finance a nationwide WiMAX network.
Very clever — don’t let constructing a wireless network distract from the core focus of search, but use some billions to ensure an open source environment develops in which the company thinks they will prosper. (Although Nokia purchasing Trolltech this week clearly shows they will have stiff competition)
I’d wager these stories are no accident, and the folks inside the Googleplex are promoting this viewpoint. It dovetails so nice with Google’s “do no evil” mantra.