Melissa Daniels

The technology industry has emerged as one of the top lobbying interests on Capitol Hill, with players like AT&T and Verizon spending big bucks to make their voices heard.

When it's time for U.S. voters to elect new representatives, the mobile phone industry is willing to spend millions to lock in candidates who will represent their best interests.

Lawsuits are stifling innovation, but FRAND, a collective of industry-standard patents, is trying to save the smartphone market from itself.