Bankrupt wireless firm LightSquared cuts employees, but not lobbyists

Wireless startup LightSquared has laid off nearly half of its workforce and filed for bankruptcy, but isn’t parting with its extensive network of Washington lobbyists.

LightSquared assembled an impressive roster of K Street names to push for the network. Last quarter, at least 14 different firms lobbied for LightSquared, according to disclosure forms. The company spent more than $2.8 million on lobbying in 2011, according to records, roughly quadrupling 2010’s total of nearly $700,000. But the lobbying offensive wasn’t enough to get LightSquared’s network proposal past regulators. The company announced plans in February to lay off nearly half of its 330 employees, and filed for bankruptcy in May. Despite the financial troubles and staff cutbacks, LightSquared has yet to disband its lobbying army — an implicit acknowledgment that the company’s future is contingent upon what happens in Washington. John Scofield of Shockey Scofield Solutions said his firm would still be lobbying for LightSquared.