Around the Net
Google Triples Lobbying Spend
- TechCrunch, Monday, April 23, 2012 11:57 AM
Doing everything possible to fend off government regulation, Web giants are spending more than ever on their respective lobbying efforts. This quarter, Google spent a whopping $5.03 million on lobbying fees -- tripling its spend from the same period a year ago -- reports TechCrunch, citing the most recent disclosure reports filed in the U.S. Senate’s lobbying database.
By contrast, Microsoft only spent $1.8 million on lobbying for the quarter. Small by comparison, Facebook doubled down on its own lobbying efforts ahead of its IPO in May. According to TechCrunch, the social network spent $650,000 on lobbying in the first quarter of the year -- up from $230,000 in the same quarter last year. What issues are Google pushing in Washington?
This past quarter, as TechCrunch reports, Google’s lobbying strategy focused on SOPA, patent reform, data privacy and accountability, online advertising regulation, intellectual property and trademark issues, cyber security and online privacy, renewable energy, freedom of expression and censorship, immigration reform and the Startup Visa Act, science, technology and math education, free trade, broadband access, freedom of expression and intellectual property in international trade agreements, “openness and competition in the online services market,” cloud computing, tax reform, and internet standards of service.
