FTC under fire for passing on Google's search practices, critics say Google once was seen as such a ripe target for investigation that the nation's antitrust enforcers battled over the right to claim it as their own, as a potential high-tech pelt to be posted on the wall alongside Microsoft and AT&T. Yet after nearly two years of a high-profile probe, Google is preparing to emerge with a negotiated settlement that many observers call a slap on the wrist. And the agency that claimed the case in 2011, the Federal Trade Commission, is facing withering criticism for delivering little after raising expectations so high. Some critics have gone so far as to suggest that the FTC has critically weakened its credibility as an antitrust enforcer while also tarnishing its hard-won reputation as the nation's most ardent overseer of the bustling, multibillion-dollar technology industry at a time when its products are increasingly pervasive - some say intrusive - parts of Americans" lives. "From the perspective of the Federal Trade Commission, I think it's devastating for the whole enterprise," said Silicon Valley lawyer Gary Reback, who represents companies seeking aggressive action against Google for alleged abuses. It's not like the problem goes away. It's more likely that the Federal Trade Commission goes away. The FTC long has shared antitrust enforcement with the Justice Department under an uneasy arrangement that has featured fierce backroom negotiations and inter-agency jealousies. When the FTC's commissioners deadlocked over pursuing the Microsoft case in 1993, the Justice Department eagerly took over what proved to be a historic case that reshaped the tech industry, leaving some at the FTC embittered by their agency's inability to act. One measure of the stakes in the current Google antitrust probe is that a vigorous post-mortem debate has begun even before the FTC has announced its decision, expected in the next several days. Those familiar with the case, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet public, have said the FTC is on the verge of agreeing to end its case in exchange for concessions from Google; they include limits on using sections of restaurant reviews, hotel ratings and other "snippets" from rival Web sites, as well as technical changes making it easier for marketers to move their advertisements to other online networks. Nothing is expected on the most serious claims, that Google manipulates its search results to hobble competitors and gain advantage for its own offerings in shopping, travel services and other lucrative businesses. Google for weeks has declined to respond to questions about the pending deal with FTC officials, saying only that it is "happy to answer any questions they may have." Legal analysts split on whether the way it displays search results violates the law, but there is wide agreement that the FTC's failure to challenge Google on its core business practices has produced results far short of expectations. Some say it could embolden the company to push farther into gray legal areas.