Dear Dan,
I don't totally understand the issues here, looks to me that Google has been caught and should pay up and get its act straightened out, but perhaps I am not really fair, somehow?
Because truthfully, I am irked right now with powerful American corporations, bullying everybody...and in any case, look at the relativity:
* * *
Google already HAS $90 bn, so the $2.7bn fine is actually only 3% of its worth. Well, lots of old folks here in good ol' USA get around $1,000 monthly Social Security (and are lucky if they have $1,000 stashed in the bank). So 3% of their monthly worth would be (a whopping) $30. However, even a traffic ticket is often in the range of $150...a fine of 15% of their monthly worth if you get out of line...
But Google is worried about the precedent that would be set...(sigh)...again I don't think I fully understand Google's side of this, but I have a difficult time sympathizing.