Google lines up telecom pieces

Also this week, Google launched a test version of localized ads on its YouTube video mobile site in the U.S. and Japan. The test “will [users] a new way to interact with content on the go, while allowing us to learn how video viewers engage with mobile advertising,” Christine Tsai, Google’s product marketing manager for YouTube said in a blog post announcing the test.

Finally, Google Monday launched a new web site called Free the Airwaves, to publicly encourage the Federal Communications Commission to deregulate “white space,” or portions of available spectrum between existing broadcast TV channels. Tests of white spaces data transmission have been decidedly mixed.Google filed remarks with the FCC last March to support the development of white space data.

In announcing its new site, Google stated the obvious: While its “do no evil” corporate mantra at times finds it supporting new initiatives for the sake of customers, in the end, Google’s bottom line drives its interest in telecom and wireless. Said Google’s Minnie Ingersoll, product manager, Alternative Access Team: “When it comes to opening these airwaves, we believe the public interest is clear. But we also want to be transparent about our involvement: Google has a clear business interest in expanding access to the web.”