When FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s predecessor Michael Powell used Skype for the first time and said “I knew it was over when I downloaded Skype; this will change everything”, he had no way of knowing three years later larger Web forces would take the Skype open-internet mantra to the next level and challenge an over-the-hill old-guard group of Ma Bell incumbents on the airwaves themselves. Today, implementation rules for the January 2008 700MHz spectrum auction were voted on in DC, with five FCC commissioners weighing in on what has become a battle of the ages between the Bells and Google—for what each party considers their versions of Open Mobile Networks.  Deep breath...  OK.  Ready?  The vote outcome is in favor of the following conditions:

• Open applications: any software application, content, or service on any device
• Open devices: any device can run on the network
• Open networks: total open network access

So despite Google loosing approval for the forth Open Services wholesale access condition request, today is nonetheless the day that will go down in history as the beginning of liberated mobility— a day when oppressive hierarchies were flattened—the day that the Berlin wall of wireless carrier protected gardens collapsed—a day were old ways of doing business began to die their slow and painful well-deserved deaths—the day when the U.S. Federal Govt. and the office of the FCC accepted and agreed that the next mobile broadband network should be completely Open and Programmable, designed for the people, by the people!

So, Ma Bell no longer ‘has you by the calls’. The 700 MHz network will allow you [the developer, publisher, content provider] to launch anything, anywhere, anytime, on any device.  Halleluiah!

I'm stoked. Three months ahead of my 20^th snowboarding season, Google Earth Blog reports new imagery updates for Google Earth including a dump [pun intended] of high-resolution data for my home state of Colorado. Up till now, imagery for reviewing and sharing my snowboarding runs with bragging rights lacked impact—neither Google nor Microsoft's offerings delivered the goods for Colorado slopes—but this new NASA stuff looks great. Check out these runs from last season:

• A-Basin
• Breckenridge 
• Keystone 
• Vail 

Thanks Google and NASA!

Jack Dangermond, President of ESRI [and my former employer], reminds us of the importance of geographic information science and what he coins The Geographic Approach—a professional discipline that fuses physical and cultural geographic sciences and associated knowledge through common collaboration GIS tools. Jack reinforces the idea that while individual scientific disciplines continue to aid the discovery of geographic conditions and phenomena that are changing our environment, skilled professionals within these scientific communities who share information amongst each other through close collaboration are changing the collective knowledge of the planet through shared cross-discipline scientific observation. He attributes this cross-discipline discovery to GIS the tool, and says GIS professionals will play an instrumental future role in helping various scientific communities improve deteriorating conditions of our planet.

The Geographic Approach vision is one that builds off of a heritage deeply rooted in GIS Professionalism—an industry creation supported by scientific principles and academic discipline, and one that is currently challenged by neogeographers—skilled technologists who lack education or formal training in GI Science, bet yet nonetheless produce useful geographic information applications with standard Web tools and APIs. I was recently accused of belonging to the GIS high-priesthood by someone who considers himself a neogeographer. As unfunny as it may be, I don’t think of myself as either. I had not heard the term "GIS High-Priest" before, but apparently it’s one used by a group of disgruntled neogeographers when referring to GIS Professionals [a label received by default if you’ve been employed by ESRI], or to folks who have pursued academic qualifications and extracurricular pursuits to advance GIS professionalism. Well color me a High-Priest then. Ironically, I happen to have been educated under catholic scholasticism, monks taught me Anthropology, and I did put myself through Geographic Information Science graduate school taking my career quite seriously. So while true I am proudly affiliated with these communities, a guilty-by-association label as an elitist is unfounded and ridiculous. Take it easy man…

With all the recent hubbub on Google’s potential 700 MHz play, and with Verizon, AT&T, and the CTIA crying foul accusing DC of dole distribution for Silicon Valley welfare, Sprint ‘s composure is quiet—perhaps confident. It should be. Even though some have bashed Sprint criticizing what they suggest is sluggish progress towards the upcoming WiMax launch, building a network takes time, as does the ecosystem strategy around an Open Mobile Platform like WiMax, which will likely rival any network arising from the 700 MHz auction—both in terms of speed as well as openness.

An indicator of Sprint’s confidence arrives today in form of a teaming announcement with Google [despite the noise] to launch a suite of mobility and location-enriched applications that will run across a myriad of connected WiMax devices [not just phones]. It’s an early indication of what to expect from Sprint during this intense build-out phase.  Plus, with LBS apps accounting for 1/3 of total data revenues today up over music and others, it’s also no surprise that Sprint also has plans beyond Google Apps with continued commitment to enable their existing developer community with APIs needed to build broadband mobility and location smarts into applications spanning consumer, business, and government super-group horizontals.  Yep, I'd say Sprint gets it... 

Despite last weeks attempt by the Googleplex to encourage Washington to reconsider all of the four open network conditions [including wholesale spectrum introducing an Adwords-like bidding system for broadband airwave leasing], Kevin Martin and the FCC said no to the wholesale ask.

"The proposal I've put forth isn't designed to facilitate the entry of any one company," Mr Martin said. "Google is upset about the lack of inclusion of a wholesale requirement," he said, just as others were upset about the open device rule.

Has bluff been called? Will Google nonetheless issue a backpedal bid in the upcoming auction and accept three of the four proposed conditions? A sheepish recoil is unlikely given that the ‘any app on any device’ rule will stand and permit Picasa, Google Maps/Earth, YouTube, Reader, GrandCentral, and Gmail deployments on any device regardless. So while monetizing the airwaves themselves by selling broadband like ad-inventory aint an option DC will consider, Google lovers will still get their Google Apps on their devices along with all those ads regardless if it’s Google’s 700 MHz C-block network or otherwise.

-FT.com

Rapid-response and high-volume transaction scalability-specialist DeCarta has secured another round of financing from the same committed camp of initial investors further demonstrating a faithful pledge to continued growth under existing leadership. Executives say the funding will be used to support Asia and European expansion efforts in addition to planned diversification into market segments historically underserved. 

I should have started my day on European time. TomTom and Tele Atlas issued joint press today announcing the sale of TeleAtlas to TomTom for around $2.5 Billion. Scratch previous suggestions that perhaps the two were growing apart. This move will not only enhance the navigation product reach while reducing TA OPEX with streamlined user-generated data collection science, but it also blocks new competitive entrants who would otherwise threaten TomTom’s future. Obvious threats include Google and Nokia. With news of the TA sale, NAVTEQ stock was up 16% today at noon EST, with investors salivating at the possible sale of the other member of the once global duopoly. So, it seems previous rumors live-up to their possibility and a race is now on between Google and Nokia for NAVTEQ, but in that race, it’s hard to imagine folks like Microsoft to sit on the sidelines and give-up their already tremendous investments …

Naturally, a number of other smaller navigation suppliers are biting their fingernails today. What happens to folks on both sides of TeleAtlas and NAVTEQ’s usage? Here’s a compressed list of smaller navigation application solutions providers and their respective database usage preference. Will they be abandoned… consumed…? It’s hard to imagine they’ll continue to receive product to support a competitive effort.

• Appello - NAVTEQ
• ALK - NAVTEQ
• Clarity Communications - NAVTEQ
• Dash - Tele Atlas
• Destinator - NAVTEQ
• Garmin - NAVTEQ
• Jentro - NAVTEQ
• Networks in Motion - NAVTEQ
• Motorola - NAVTEQ
• Nokia/Gate5 – Tele Atlas
• Navigon - NAVTEQ
• Mio – Tele Atlas
• Navitime - NAVTEQ
• Route 66 - NAVTEQ
• TelMap - NAVTEQ
• TeleNav – Tele Atlas
• WaveMarket – Tele Atlas
• WayFinder – NAVTEQ
• Webraska – NAVTEQ

Also, I wonder about the major developer ecosystem efforts of both Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ going forward. Why engage a developer community that builds competitive end-user product? Perhaps outreach strategies will shift towards engaging other content publishers and media companies vs. developers who build function. This will be interesting to watch…

Well, if Kevin Martin and the FCC accept all of Google's four conditions for open mobile networks on the 700 MHz C-block, Eric Schmidt says the Googleplex will allocate a whopping $4.6 billion to bid on the spectrum when it goes up for auction in about 6 months.  That's a serious commitment, with serious implications - and you know what - it's the type of seriousness we need to get the mobile Web going.  Friends and I have been discussing walled gardens recently after hours, and everyone in the ecosystem is tired, frustrated, and sick of the brownnose stink that must be endured just to get an app deployed.  It's time for that to change, so regardless if Google actually wins this fight, a point has been made, and this time it's by someone that can actually change the playing field. 

In case you missed it, The New York Times is running a piece in this morning's Business Day section on page C7 about location-based services.  All the usual suspects and offerings are covered with newbee coverage for Dash [which has an interesting model].  maperture's own David Williams of LBS Globe offers up a couple pearls towards the end.  Happy reading.   

The Starfish and the Spider authors Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom call out countless examples of how leaderless organizations always prevail over centralized command and control. Some include Al Qaeda, Napster, Craigslist, and Wikipedia. I’m not 100% convinced of the “always” claim since folks closer to action often have more hands-on knowledge about a situation, while folks in the rear-with-the-gear have a larger view of the situation—which is not necessarily worse or better. I do however agree that entrenched participant-observers usually respond faster while continually adapting to changing circumstances for survival. This continual adaptation confuses their competition, and keeps them in a constant state of agitated response ultimately leading to inward collapse.

This morning’s Gizmodo post by Jesus Diaz about unlocking the iPhone triggered my recollection on the power of the Starfish organization and how the more control Spider organizations attempt to enforce on their audiences, the more Starfish powers will rise to counter those efforts. It’s a senseless fight according the authors of the book—a book that deserves a read if you want to better understand the power of the masses in a Web 2.0 liberated world.