FCC sets 700MHz auction rules: limited open access, no wholesale requirement

A soft-spoken Kevin Martin brought two phones to today's FCC open meeting at which the agency presented the rules for its upcoming 700MHz auction. Both phones were made by Nokia, but the European version allowed access to WiFi networks; the American version did not. Martin noted that "people want the ability to buy both"
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 This is where companies like Google hoped to see four conditions applied: open applications, open devices, open services, and open networks. Income and telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon generally don't want any such restrictions placed on the spectrum.

Neither side got exactly what it wanted. The FCC has decided to support two of the open access principles—open devices and open applications—but they neglected to open up the underlying networks by requiring the spectrum winner to resell its bandwidth in the wholesale market.