Google Spends $3.4 Million in 3Q Lobbying Congress

According to The Verge, among consumer technology companies lobbying U.S. congressmen, Google still ranks first, but other companies such as Facebook and Apple are also increasing their lobbying efforts. According to information obtained by the Consumer Watchdog organization, it was disclosed by the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives that in the third fiscal quarter of this year, Google spent $3.4 million on lobbying.

In fact, compared to last year, Google's lobbying expenses for the third fiscal quarter of this year have decreased. Last year, Google was involved in an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and coincided with the 2012 presidential election, so its lobbying expenses were $4.2 million. However, the lobbying expenses of other companies are showing an upward trend. Facebook's lobbying expenditure increased by 47% year-on-year to $1.4 million. Apple spent $970,000 on lobbying in the most recent quarter, compared to $460,000 in the third quarter of last year. Companies that spend a lot in this area also include Amazon, which spent $2.2 million in the previous quarter, compared to $1.9 million during the same period last year. At the top of lobbying expenditures are telecommunications operators Verizon ($3.04 million) and AT&T ($4.3 million).

This week, the media also disclosed that Twitter's lobbying expenditure for the previous quarter was $40,000. According to reports by The Washington Post, this company, which will soon be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, lobbied congressmen on issues including net neutrality, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance reform, immigration, and "Do Not Track" legislation. Political news website Politico reported that Facebook and Google's lobbying issues are similar to it, and the latter is also actively promoting the legislation of autonomous driving cars.

In recent months, tech companies have made efforts at the political level through high-profile public campaigns. Earlier this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Bill Gates, and some other Silicon Valley business leaders founded FWD.us, an organization advocating for immigration reform. In 2012, Google co-founded the Internet Association with Facebook, Amazon, and eBay to lobby for an "open, innovative, and free internet." In June this year, it was reported that Google's lobbying budget ranked eighth in the U.S., ahead of arms company Lockheed Martin.