Is Verizon's flip-flop on the 700MHz auction rules for real?

IS VERIZON'S FLIP-FLOP ON THE 700 MHz AUCTION FOR REAL?
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
[Commentary] Verizon Wireless says it will go along with proposed Federal Communications Commission rules for the upcoming 700Mhz spectrum auction that would require the company to permit subscribers to bring any device to its network. But are AT&T and Verizon really compromising anything? Combined, they have more influence in Washington, D.C., than any other set of technology or communications companies in the entire country. They don't need to be making conciliatory gestures that could hurt their businesses. So why are they doing it? My guess is because the proposal that Martin has touted won't have much impact on the market anyway. Martin's proposal, which few people have actually seen yet, only would require the "any device rule" to apply to a small sliver of the 700MHz spectrum. So if Verizon won these licenses, the requirement would be only for areas where those licenses are used. The rest of the Verizon Wireless network would be just as closed off as it always has been. What would this mean for consumers? Well, if you're a Verizon customer, you could theoretically bring your own phone to the network, but it would only work in regions where Verizon has won and built out its network using the 700MHz licenses. If you want to use the rest of Verizon's nationwide network, you'd still have to use a Verizon phone, because the company is not required to adhere to this rule for any other spectrum licenses that have been used to build its nationwide network. So at the end of the day, this rule by itself is completely meaningless for the average consumer, and it does nothing to promote true open access for devices. What Google and others, like Frontline Wireless, really want to see is for the FCC to also adopt rules that would guarantee open access to wholesalers.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9750580-7.html

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