Such was the case at the FCC in the recent decision to move forward with ultrawideband (UWB) technology. Basically, this is a form of pulsed or swept communications often involving several gigahertz of bandwidth; it's sometimes accurately called "carrierless" communications. UWB has applications in position-location systems, various forms of radar, and even high-speed networking and communications. But it's going to step on a big swath of spectrum in the process, and therein lies the rub.

As a form of spread-spectrum radio, UWB's power footprint will be really tiny, much less than the FCC already allows in many cases for unintentional radiators. But of course, UWB intentionally radiates, and there was great fear of interference, particularly from multiple co-located UWB emitters. Of particular interest was GPS at about 1.2 and 1.6 GHz, but it's safe to assume that incumbent users of almost every part of the spectrum were simply concerned about the potential for new competition.

In its ruling the FCC put in place restrictions that I think are more than appropriate for now. UWB will see primary application above 3.1 GHz, where interference is less of a problem, and the FCC remains open to relaxation of the rules as real-world experience is gained with the technology. That is as it should be, and the FCC is to be congratulated for putting innovation ahead of politics.

It remains to be seen if UWB will really meet its promise. It's fairly safe to assume it will see broad application in wall- and ground-penetrating radar, medical imaging, surveillance, security and perhaps collision-avoidance radar. UWB will undoubtedly see some use in wireless networking too. But with the rapid progress of 802.11 wireless LANs, UWB has some real challenges ahead of it. Still, it's best not to underestimate the power of innovation, and I think we'll be hearing more about UWB as the technology and the regulatory environment continue to evolve.

Craig Mathias is an analyst with the Farpoint Group (Ashland, Mass.).