Google doubles federal lobbying dollars, now the top-spending tech company
- Lauren Hepler
- Economic Development Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal
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After fourth-quarter lobbying disclosure reports were filed this week, Google’s 2012 lobbying tab on federal issues totaled $18.2 million, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
That’s nearly double the search engine giant's 2011 lobbying total of $9.6 million and a far cry from 2010 lobbying expenditures of a mere $5 million.
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While Q4 lobbying numbers are
still being added to the running tally of lobbying spending for the past year,
Google has now joined
the ranks of the nation’s biggest-spending political players like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, General Electric and Blue
Cross/Blue Shield.
So what’s Google’s new political cash being used for? Everything from piracy
to green energy.During 2012, Google lobbied Washington policymakers on tech issues ranging from widely loathed anti-piracy bills PIPA and SOPA to corporate IP protections to laws governing mobile payments to trans-pacific trade.
Other lobbying topics included renewable energy, online advertising, immigration and the use of technology in education.
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Another big issue was the Federal Trade Commission’s probe into possible antitrust law violations by Google. In federal reports, Google lists “issues related to the FTC's review of competition and consumer matters with respect to Google” as one focus of company lobbyists.
Stay tuned for more on how Silicon Valley’s staple tech companies are raising their profile in Washington, and in the meantime, click here to comb through Google’s 2012 lobbying reports on the Center for Responsive Politics’ site, OpenSecrets.org.
Lauren Hepler covers economic development, sports, and hospitality for the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She can be reached at 408.299.1820
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