... Google has long been excited about the idea of white spaces. In a 2008 blog post, co-founder Larry Page imagined the possibilities of these unused signals:

We will soon have "Wi-Fi on steroids," since these spectrum signals have much longer range than today's Wi-Fi technology and broadband access can be spread using fewer base stations, resulting in better coverage at lower cost. And it is wonderful that the FCC has adopted the same successful unlicensed model used for Wi-Fi, which has resulted in a projected 1 billion Wi-Fi chips being produced this year. Now that the FCC has set the rules, I'm sure that we'll see similar growth in products to take advantage of this spectrum.

If the Google/Spectrum Bridge trial goes well, we may see ultra-powerful white space wireless pop up in more populated areas. That's good news for Google, which has invested in the smart grid through multiple ventures, including its own PowerMeter software. It's also promising for anyone living in a remote area without wireless. Thanks to white space, wireless may soon have no boundaries.