This isn't a huge surprise, but with the veil of secrecy now lifted off the 700 MHz spectrum auction it's been confirmed that Google indeed never had any real interest in winning the bidding for the C block that eventually went to Verizon. Instead, what Google is very keen on was in the FCC implementing openness rules could only be triggered by its $4.6 billion minimum bid. The auction took place online, and there's a pretty comic scene in the linked article of Googlers anxiously refreshing their browsers, hoping and praying that a higher bid popped up on the screen.

Oh, Google, do I know the feeling. A couple weeks back Jane's school held an auction to benefit the public interest student group. I thought the item on the auction block was an 8GB iPhone, and so I raised my paddle and bid on it. Jane turned to me and asked, "whydja just offer $400 for a fajita dinner with my professor?" It was an anxious few seconds waiting for someone to top my bid, I tell you that. (Photo thx sonicbloom.)