Heavy-duty VCs get set for 700MHz auction

TV broadcasters are due to hand back a bunch of spectrum--including the 700MHz UHF band--to the federal government after the transition to digital television is completed in early 2009. Cellcos and a lot of other people are interested, but there's a new player with some very familiar big names. Frontline Wireless is headed by former FCC head Reed Hundt, and has built an investor group that includes John Doerr (the VC behind Google, Amazon, Intuit, Sun, and others), Jim Barksdale (Netscape) and K. Ram Shriram, an early Google investor. They apparently propose using a technology called "software-defined radio" being championed by Vanu Bose, son of Amar Bose, as in Bose audio. They want to use the spectrum to build services for connected devices, with the option to clear the spectrum on demand from public safety agencies. The CTIA is apparently unamused by the Frontline proposal--not surprising, as Frontline would compete with CTIA members in any spectrum auction.

For more information about Frontline:
- read this article from The New York Times