May 22nd, 2008
Google's Page pitches for white spaces in DC
Google’s Larry Page is in Washington, talking up white spaces to Congress – and speaking out against lobbyists, as well. Page met with key lawmakers including House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and policy makers at the Federal Communications Commission, the Post reports.
“There’s a huge opportunity to make this stuff work,” Page said in a discussion this morning hosted by the New American Foundation.
Use of white spaces would create a ubiquitous Wi-Fi-like environment, where Internet access is always freely available.
“For us, that translates into more revenues for us. If you have 10 percent more connectivity in the U.S. that’s 10 percent more revenue for us and that’s a big number. The more available broadband is and the lower the cost, we make more money,” Page said.
Specifically, Page wants the winners of the 700 MHz auction to be able to auction off the white spaces between usable frequencies, reports PCWorld.
That idea could be expanded to the federal government, with agencies that sell spectrum on a temporary basis potentially raising billions of dollars, Page said during a speech at the New America Foundation, an independent think tank.
If government agencies could conduct real-time auctions on their spectrum, the unused spectrum “doesn’t stay wasted,” said Page, now Google’s president of products. “It’s unclear how much demand you’d have. I think you’ll have a lot of demand as you free up more spectrum.”
Policymakers should make policy based on public need not on the self-interested lobbying of entrenched industries, he said, according to Dow Jones.
“Part of why I’m here is I just I don’t want people to be misled by people who have an interest in this to cause the country to do the wrong thing,” Page said. “Should you really be listening to the NAB which wants to keep the spectrum for its own use?”
