I checked out the Silicon Alley Insider, a local NYC Tech scene blog, and saw their post about the fight between Google and Verizon Wireless over the terms of the 700Mhz spectrum auction.
I think the Open access idea is is great. The idea that licensing for spectrum should not specify a particular device has been around for some time- Google is likely preparing for a situation in which they want to be able to wholesale to retail wireless providers.
It's not possib le because of the way spectrum licenses work now, though the idea has beeen around for a few years in the spectrum scarcity and property rights literature (see for example Gerry Faulhaber and Dave Farber's work or the TPRC paper archive). Cellular telephones, for example, use particular bands for which service providers must purchase a license. This license specifies the services to be provided. So if by some chance you purchased one of Verizon's licenses for, say, a CDMA frequency in Montana, you still would only be able to offer CDMA based cell service. No other uses are legal.