F.C.C. Responds To Tech Industry Concerns Over Open Platform

[engine]

At the conference, Martin cited among other things the FCC's decision to impose an open-platform requirement on part of the valuable wireless spectrum the government auctioned off earlier this year.

At the urging of technology companies, such as Google Inc, the FCC required the winner of one block of spectrum to make it an "open platform" accessible to customers using any device or software application.

F.C.C. Responds To Tech Industry Concerns Over Open Platform [reuters.com]

[vincevincevince]

One wonders why a private entity would pay a substantial sum for the privilege of letting everybody use the band. Surely the F.C.C. should be just not auctioning the band and instead declaring it open?

What I suspect is being said here is not that it becomes an open band, but that the winner (in this case Verison Wireless) retains full control over the band but kindly allows you to purchase equipment from someone else provided it is connecting to Verison Wireless.

If so then it's really no great help at all... the requirement should allow anyone to operate wireless services not just interconnect.