When politics and tech collide, everyone loses

[Commentary] LightSquared's problems are a perfect example of how challenging it is to develop spectrum policy.

The company that became LightSquared actually won approval for using the spectrum for satellite and terrestrial broadband all the way back in 2004 under the Bush Administration, but it was only recently as the network came together that the GPS issues came to light. And now, instead of recognizing that a viable wholesale 4G network might be a great alternative in a consolidating mobile telecom sector, Republicans are using LightSquared as a bludgeon to beat the Obama Administration for cronyism. Republicans and Democrats would do better to quit looking for scapegoats and start working on the real problems with this deal: notably that we need more broadband competition in this country, and we need to figure out how to handle unexpected issues arising from complicated technologies such as spectrum in a fair manner.