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Good read over at the LA Times today (though we found it in the Chicago Tribune) today, where Jim Puzzanghera and Jessica Guynn talk about how the 700 MHz auction will affect the wireless world. Sure, the winners will have a powerful spectrum on which they can deliver services to their clients. But it goes beyond that, into what kind of information will be sent over these airwaves.

Specifically, mobile Internet is the target. Puzzanghera and Guynn talk about something that’s been on our mind for quite a while: Trying to make the mobile Internet the same as the PC Internet. We’ve made a lot of strides in that regard, and having a more powerful spectrum will add to the movement.

“This auction potentially opens up mobile computing from something that’s very expensive and very limited to something that comes into everyday use,” said Harold Feld, senior vice president of the Media Access Project, a public interest law firm that has pushed for more open use of the airwaves.

This is also true, thanks to the open-access spectrum. Currently, only about 13 percent of U.S. cell users access the Internet from their mobile. This is compared to roughly 50 percent of Japanese cell owners who surf from their mobile. With more powerful means of conveyance and a more open platform, we could see a decrease in the cost of mobile web access, which will surely result in a spike in its usage.

“No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers, who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet,” Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in a statement.

Yeah, and that, too.

[Chicago Tribune]

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