While Comcast and Time Warner Cable say they'll be standing on the sidelines when the 700Mhz auction comes around, Cox has announced that the company intends to bid -- hinting at broader wireless ambitions. "We remain committed to furthering our plans for the convergence and mobility of our services and believe that bidding on this 700 MHz spectrum could provide us with another alternative that would support our goals," a Cox spokesman says.

Given that Cox is private, they can tinker with wireless ambitions without annoying investors, who usually don't like the slow returns on large build projects (see early investor reaction to Verizon FiOS and reaction to Sprint's Xohm plans). Rumors of expensive wireless plans have been plaguing Comcast stocks for months.