It was indeed about money, however it has nothing to do with lining their pockets or being upset at the prospect of open source. It does have to do with the fact that they were expecting upwards of 30 billion to be collected from this to help out the coffers. Google didn't do anything wrong, but they did outsmart the FCC by doing the minimum bid and betting that someone would outbid them. The FCC was expecting a bidding war to take place and it didn't. So don't try to lump this on the "evil" politicians. The money raised would have helped everyone all around.

Looks like someone forgot to make a donation to a congressman.

How standards have fallen all the more; it's thinkable to boo-hoo publicly now when your corporate interests are thwarted?!

Are they going to throw a tantrum on The Floor?

I suppose it's possible they only wanted to control that whole band so as to ensure it wasn't used at all, leaving some undistrubed aethers for the Earth and the birdies and NAAAHHHHHHHH. As if. They're Republicans - they want the water full of EM traffic too.

OMG !!! open access what a shame. I doent see the problems with that. Im not sure why the congress would be conserned. OMG !!! rules and fare play for all, what a disaster. It seems that if Google just lines the pockets of the Republican's they wouldnt have these problems.

Wait... so Google did a good thing for the common person and some politicians are angry with people now having a choice?
Isn't that a national scandal or something? I mean, shouldn't those pupp... ahem, congressmen resign and get a desk job at the Telecoms company instead of representing "the people"?

Companies? Using their money to get what they want in the US? Well i never.

Goggle were willing to pay the billions what they did was fine, and respectable if you ask me.

Wouldn't it be nice if just *once* a Republican CongressCriter took the side of his constituents instead of the corporations funding his reelection bid?

"Wake up, Johnny. You're dreaming!"


"Republican representatives Cliff Stearns and John Shimkus of Illinois are incandescent with rage claiming that Google 'duped' the FCC to get its way."

At least Google did nothing wrong here - they just placed a bid, and were outbid - as opposed to the wallet-stuffing that may have prompted the alleged Microsoft-puppets Stearns and Shimkus to suddenly raise their well-situated voices against a Microsoft-foe. Hey, if Microsoft can buy enough votes to get OOXML thru ISO, turning these two into talking wallets should be business as usual. I am sure we will see more manipulation of governments by the "vole-on-a-roll" unless this is reclassified as an (organized) crime.