Buy a Piece of the Wireless Spectrum

When it comes to making money, some people will stop at nothing, and that includes anything from selling your own organs for money, to selling debris and calling it "a piece of Intel". Of course, everybody wants to buy land on the Moon, but there is much talk if we actually set foot on it, so sale claims go from anything to what you can think of and beyond.

Such is the case with a more down to Earth offer, which comes from the U.S. Federal Communication Commission; they have approved the auction sale of the wireless spectrum in the 700MHz frequency band. Not to be taken lightly, their offer will score billions of dollars, but it will also mean that if you don't get your hands on a "little piece of Heaven", you might have to pay tribute to Chief Sky Warrior, who now owns "as far as the eye can see".

But this frequency is no ordinary deal, experts say that a transmission tower which emits in the upper segment of the 700MHz frequency band can cover four times as much ground as the ones which use higher bands. For the 60MHz frequency band the FCC expects to raise $10 billion, so for this other one, prices could go even higher due to the performance factor involved.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said: "The new spectrum will give many U.S. broadband customers the choice of a 'third pipe'. The spectrum auction promises to bring broadband choices not only to big cities, but to rural areas as well. In much of the country, however, consumers have a choice of only two broadband services: cable or DSL. And in some parts of the country, consumers don't even have that choice. We need a real third broadband competitor."