You may not know it, but all analog television signals will be terminated by the year 2009. That means your television will be all digital. When that happens, part of the spectrum of frequencies that can be used to send and receive information will open back up. Google would like to bid on this part of the spectrum to help create what might be called an open spectrum that would be cheap and easy to maintain. If Google uses this particular part of the spectrum, signals can be stronger and relays can be further apart.
Google envisions and open spectrum and believes it will benefit many. This would mean that people could have cheap or even free access to the spectrum and unlike the old days with television and radio, frequencies used to share information would not be held entirely in the private business sector. There are some Presidential candidates that have had their say on the subject, and would like to see all homes have access within the next five years.
What lies ahead as far as open spectrum for Internet access seems to be up in the air, but many feel that the open form of sharing is in the best interests of all of those who live in the United States. You might call this something that is like a federally monitored system, but it will be there for anyone with the means to use it. There will be rules and regulations that must be followed to avoid many types of problems, but those things should be rather simple to follow. Communication is changing rapidly, and the way we handle those communications must change as well.
Probably the biggest advantage to open spectrum Internet to you, the end user, is the cheapness and availability to information. Things will be more readily available, and that means ideas and concepts can be traded and improved upon so much more quickly. In the end it can mean countless leaps and bounds in all aspects of our lives and in how we communicate and share information with each other. The possibilities for each person might indeed be limitless.