Rich Miner, Google: Talking about Android, an open development platform for mobile application. "There is a stifling on innovation in the mobile space... because the ecosystem is a closed one. If you're trying to invent... applications... openness by just publishing APIs is not very open.... The level of control that these platforms maintain prevents [actors] from innovating."
More back channel chatter:
Back to Rich: They expect to ship phones by the second half of this year, after which they will release the code under a license. Since announcing Android, the message of openness is resonating through the industry, and, to a certain degree, other players are trying to compete on openness. "Google feels comforted that the message of openness... is going to take root, and it will be difficult to dislodge it.
Michael Calabrese, New America Foundation: NAF has been working on a concept of wireless Carterphone.
About the 700 MHz auction:
- AT&T & Verizon won 90% of the spectrum. In a consolidating, oligopoly, auctions can actually hinder new entrants.
- Verizon started up it's open network rhetoric, qualifying them to be a big winner in the auction.
"In the early 1920s, hundreds of organizations attempted to share the airwaves... but obviously the technology was not ready... [Now] what's scarce is government licenses, not spectrum. 90% of spectrum is not being used most of the time." What we need are "smart radios and a light-touch licensing regime.
This article looks like a good read on the new model NAF is proposing. Also, these:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/feb07/4892
http://www.radioscape.com/
http://meraki.com/
Tim Wu couldn't be here (bummer), so David is inviting a few "lightning talks" from innovators in attendance.
Rochard Wright, Google: "I can't say anything about whether Google is happy about the auction results until Thursday at 6:01 pm... However, someone has called Google a 'happy loser...' Michael did a great job giving the overview, [but I can add] That Chairman Martin, to his credit, have been supporting this effort... to create some momentum for these unlicensed spectrum band."
I always thought Republicans should get into this, because it is less "Big Government" regulation. Too bad they (and many Dems) are such sellouts to the NAB.
Brent Glass, Lariat.net: www.brettglass.com/F2C.
