Google heads wireless

Google takes on wireless

For a company that's had an office in Washington, D.C., for less than two years, Google is wielding a surprising amount of power in the nation's capital.

Exhibit A is the influence Google is having on a closely watched government auction of $10 billion in licenses to provide wireless service. The Web search giant has hired some big guns to help it shape the rules for how the auction will be carried out, reflecting the company's growing interest in the wireless industry and the rising stakes in the battle for a crucial chunk of airwaves.