The results of the FCC’s wireless spectrum auction are of particular interest to more than just people in the telecom industry, as it will significantly impact how people access the Internet for years to come.
It’s no big surprise that Verizon is the big winner, but I especially enjoyed reading Susan Crawford’s analysis of the issue of what Verizon will do with it entitled “Why Block C Matters.” Susan is an ICANN board member, as well as a law professor at Cardozo Law School. I agree with her that it confirms the existing business model of handheld devices being used to access the Internet.
It also means that we’re going to have to deal with Verizon’s dominance in this segment of the market.
It also means that we’re going to have less options for wireless access than we otherwise would have had if others would’ve won the bidding.
It also means that we’re going to have a company who can bring market pressures to bear to discriminate against other carriers, all while promising in public to have an “open” network.
I wonder if we will someday look back on this day as the day in which the wireless Internet changed.