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Google's Schmidt: Company Will 'Definitely' Participate In Spectrum Auction

Google is having another amazing week. After all the hoopla that surrounded Open Social, Google dominated news again this week with its Android announcement. And just when you thought it was safe to turn on the weekend, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt said that the search company will bid on spectrum in the upcoming 700 MHz auction. Well, sort of.

Here is a look at Schmidt's kind of confirmation:

This article from Forbes sort of quotes Google CEO Eric Schmidt saying, for the first time, that the company would "definitely" participate in the forthcoming 700 MHZ wireless spectrum auction to be held in January. It also says that Google would open that spectrum up to anyone willing to pay for it, in defiance of the U.S. FCC's compromise position on Google's request for open networks. Google had previously said it would potentially bid nearly $5 billion for the spectrum licenses, which the FCC has repeatedly described as "beach-front property."

This is especially interesting since Schmidt and Google co-founder Larry Page all but backed away from the spectrum auction during Google's Q3 conference call.

So perhaps there is some credence, after all, to the rumors that Google might partner with WiMax startup Clearwire.

Some bloggers, like Vindu Goel, even go far as to argue that consumers need Google the wireless carrier even more than they need Google's Android platform or the gPhone.

What do you think? Is Google about to partner with -- or even buy -- Clearwire and bid on some spectrum?

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