Google intends to bid on wireless spectrum in the 700MHz band when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission begins auctioning that resource in late January, the company announced Friday.

Google has previously expressed interest in the spectrum, which is being made available as U.S. television stations move to all-digital broadcasts by February 2009. Earlier this year, Google joined consumer and public-interest groups in calling for the FCC to impose open-access rules on part of the 62MHz of spectrum to be auctioned. In July, the FCC voted to require open-access rules, which would require the winning bidder to allow outside devices and applications on the network.

"We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today's wireless world. 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's recently acquired interest in wireless spectrum has led it in several directions. The company launched the Open Handset Alliance, an open-development platform for mobile phones, earlier this month.

Google has also supported efforts to push Congress to pass net neutrality requirements, which would prohibit broadband providers from blocking or slowing Web content not approved by them. Google's interest in the spectrum came after AT&T and other large broadband providers expressed interest in recent years in getting Web-based businesses to pay more for their customers' use of the broadband networks.

Google will file an application to participate in the 700MHz auction on Monday, the company said in a news release. Google's application will not include any partners.

In July, Google promised the FCC that it would bid at least $4.6 billion for a block of spectrum. The FCC later set a reserve price of $4.6 billion on the so-called C Block of spectrum, the 22MHz block where the commission required open access. If the reserve price isn't met, the FCC would re-auction the spectrum, presumably without the open-access rules.

Google intends to bid on wireless spectrum in the 700MHz band when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission begins auctioning that resource in late January, the company announced Friday.

Google has previously expressed interest in the spectrum, which is being made available as U.S. television stations move to all-digital broadcasts by February 2009. Earlier this year, Google joined consumer and public-interest groups in calling for the FCC to impose open-access rules on part of the 62MHz of spectrum to be auctioned. In July, the FCC voted to require open-access rules, which would require the winning bidder to allow outside devices and applications on the network.

"We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today's wireless world. 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's recently acquired interest in wireless spectrum has led it in several directions. The company launched the Open Handset Alliance, an open-development platform for mobile phones, earlier this month.

Google has also supported efforts to push Congress to pass net neutrality requirements, which would prohibit broadband providers from blocking or slowing Web content not approved by them. Google's interest in the spectrum came after AT&T and other large broadband providers expressed interest in recent years in getting Web-based businesses to pay more for their customers' use of the broadband networks.

Google will file an application to participate in the 700MHz auction on Monday, the company said in a news release. Google's application will not include any partners.

In July, Google promised the FCC that it would bid at least $4.6 billion for a block of spectrum. The FCC later set a reserve price of $4.6 billion on the so-called C Block of spectrum, the 22MHz block where the commission required open access. If the reserve price isn't met, the FCC would re-auction the spectrum, presumably without the open-access rules.

Acer, the world's third largest PC vendor, said Friday that it is keeping an eye on a labor shortage in China that could affect PC production.

"There is a labor shortage in China, which is new to me," said J.T. Wang, chairman of Acer, during the company's third quarter investors' conference in Taipei. "China has 1.4 billion people, how can they have a labor shortage?" he asked rhetorically.

Acer's China-based component suppliers and PC assemblers have said that in some cases they have lost 1,000 workers overnight, and have had to seek new employees. The Taiwanese company will work with suppliers on new strategies to make sure the issue does not affect production, Wang said.

He characterized the concern as small, and unlikely to become a major issue in the near term.

There has been a growing shortage of skilled labor in the East coast cities of China, in part due to government efforts to develop the nation's inland areas, said one analyst. Many factory jobs used to be filled by migrant workers, but now that many companies are building factories in China's interior, people feel they can stay at home and work instead of traveling to the coast.

Acer president Gianfranco Lanci said factories tend to move to new places when production in a certain region becomes difficult, and he expects that will happen if companies continue to see labor shortages in China.

A number of electronics firms have started investing in Vietnam. Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and maker of gadgets including iPods, PlayStation 3 consoles, and Nokia mobile phones, in August announced a plan to spend $5 billion over the next five years to build a base of electronic components factories near Vietnam's capital, Hanoi. Until now, the company's major investments have all been in China.

Taiwan's Compal Electronics, the world's second-largest laptop PC maker and another major investor in China, has also announced plans to build a notebook computer factory in Vietnam.

Companies have started to look outside of China for new factory investments, the analyst said, and while Vietnam, India, and other countries boast low-cost labor, they will only win investments if their workers are educated and investment incentives and regulations attractive.