On the same day that Apple oh-so-proudly announced the sale of its one millionth iPhone, BusinessWeek's Peter Burrows broke the news that Apple has "studied the implications of joining" the FCC's upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction on January 16, 2008.

"The winners will get rights to use the spectrum that analog TV broadcasters are handing back to the government in 2009, given their mandated move to digital television," Burrows writes. "Dubbed 'beachfront property' by the Federal Communications Commission, it's the last swathe of wireless spectrum likely to become available that would have the attributes necessary for a new mainstream broadband network."

While Burrows says Apple is currently leaning towards not participating in the auction, he notes that Apple owning the network itself, along with devices like the iPhone, could put it in a unique position. "Apple might even be able to give away network service for free, and make its money off services such as iTunes and possibly by selling subscribers advertising space," he writes.

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