Google Didn't Seek Eligibility To Buy Incentive Auction Spectrum, Drawing NAB Critique
Google didn't seek eligibility to buy spectrum in the incentive auction, a company spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. "Like all those interested in improved connectivity and equitable access, we'll be following the upcoming spectrum auction closely," she emailed. "That said, we have…
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not filed to participate." The FCC deadline to file an auction application was Wednesday last week, according to the auction's website. In a Tuesday blog post titled "The Best Things in Life Are Free (Even When You’re Worth More Than Half a Trillion Dollars)," an NAB spectrum official critiqued Google. Noting the company has "expressed an interest in 'low band' spectrum" such as the up to 100 MHz that will be sold in the incentive auction, this "would be a perfect opportunity for Google to acquire spectrum usage rights," wrote NAB Vice President-Spectrum Policy Patrick McFadden. "Google’s participation would have the added benefits of raising billions in auction revenues for the government and helping to ensure the auction’s success." Now, the company is effectively saying, "Sorry, Congress. Sorry, FCC. No dice," said McFadden. "Rather than bid in the auction, Google believes it has found access to free spectrum it can monetize." The company has backed three usable channels for unlicensed use in the broadband bands and repurposed 600 MHz band, in past filings in docket 12-268 (such as here and here). "For the past year, Google has helped lead the charge behind the scenes to push the FCC to simply reallocate spectrum during the auction process for Googley purposes," wrote NAB's McFadden. "If Google can keep pulling favors from the government to add to its $548 billion bottom line, more power to it. It’s up to all of us -- most of all the FCC -- to not keep giving things to Google for free." The company didn't comment on NAB's critique. The FCC proposal "preserving continued access to unlicensed spectrum in the post-auction TV band is the subject of a substantial record that remains open for public comment," an agency spokesman responded to NAB.