FCC treading lightly after LightSquared debacle

The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to yank its support for satellite firm LightSquared all but ends that company’s effort to launch mobile services, analysts say. Now comes the hangover.

FCC officials say they still have faith that satellite technology can be used to create wireless networks rivaling those of AT&T and Verizon Wireless. But analysts say the agency will step more carefully this time, after being burned by congressional investigations, feuds with other federal agencies and two years of work wasted on LightSquared. And, the analysts said, the LightSquared controversy will bring extra scrutiny, especially from GOP lawmakers, to future efforts to use satellites to satiate America’s voracious appetite for smartphones and network-connected tablets. The agency is expected to move deliberately on its next pet project — helping Dish Network get a mobile network running using its satellites, analysts said.