This weekend news surfaced that Google has put aside a $4.6 billion war chest to try and obtain the 700 MHz spectrum. If Google succeeded they could provide unlimited wireless broadband internet to cell phones and computers. As Mike Arrington highlights, Google wants to have four “key platform rules” adopted:

1. Open applications
2. Open devices
3. Open services
4. Open networks

See anything consistent there? They want to open it all up. In return they will bid $4.6 billion. This would be massive and something that consumers would thoroughly support. The only problem? AT&T and Verizon. They are lobbying hard against having this approved. That’s completely understandable given that Google’s offering would deal a massive blow to the two companies. When it comes down to what is in the consumer’s best interest though, the FCC needs to look past the lobbyists just as Mike Arrington suggested. Unfortunately the FCC doesn’t have a clean slate having not acted in the consumer’s best interests many times before. Will they do it again? I sure hope not.