Tech Sector Reports Mixed Lobbying Results, Though Most Companies' Spending Rises

Major tech companies reported mixed Q1 lobbying spending in filings due Monday -- Google and several other companies reported significant increases, while Facebook and Microsoft reported year-over-year spending declines. Industry groups generally reported year-over-year decreases in their lobbying spending, though some groups reported steady spending. Other telecom and tech sector stakeholders reported similarly mixed lobbying results, with both Sprint and T-Mobile saying in their filings that they spent less on lobbying during Q1 this year than the previous year (see 1504200042).

Google reported lobbying expenditures for Q1 of $1.65 million more than the $3.82 million the company reported spending during the same period last year. Google’s $5.47 million in lobbying costs made it the sector’s top lobbying spender. Google was also the sector’s top lobbying spender in Q4, when it also reported spending a company record $16.83 million on lobbying for the whole of 2014 (see 1501220060). Google said it lobbied on a wide variety of sector issues, including “limitations and exceptions” for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, cybersecurity, Internet governance, privacy and patent litigation reform. Nineteen outside firms reported lobbying for Google, with Crossroads Strategies, Gephardt Group and Podesta Group each reporting $80,000 in income from the company.

Facebook reported the second-highest lobbying spending in the sector at $2.44 million, a $340,000 decline from the same period last year. Facebook said its priorities included cybersecurity and privacy issues, including the Email Privacy Act (HR-699) and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act (S-356). Facebook also lobbied on intellectual property issues, including patent litigation overhaul. Facebook’s spending on outside lobbyists remained steady, including $60,000 in income reported by Elmendorf Ryan and $50,000 each to Harbinger Strategies, Peck Madigan and Steptoe & Johnson.

Amazon posted the largest percentage rise in lobbying spending for Q1, with its $1.91 million in quarterly expenditures being a 130 percent boost over its $830,000 in spending during the same period last year. Amazon also said its lobbying priorities included cybersecurity, IP and privacy issues, with the company specifically mentioning the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (S-754) and several other data breach and cybersecurity bills.

Microsoft reported $1.89 million in lobbying expenditures, down from $2.08 million during Q1 2014. It was the other major company to post a significant decline in lobbying spending. Apple reported $1.24 million in lobbying expenditures, up from $1.07 million last year. Yahoo reported $730,000 in lobbying costs, while Twitter reported $90,000. Pandora reported $310,000 in costs, while Sirius was reported to have spent $50,000 for lobbying work by the Paul Laxalt Group.

ICANN reported lobbying spending increased to $160,000 in Q1, up from $145,000 during the same period last year. ICANN’s spending on outside lobbyists increased by $30,000 because of the addition of Akin Gump as one of its outside firms. Mehlman Castagnetti reported $80,000 in lobbying income from ICANN, while Kountoupes Denham reported $60,000. ICANN said its lobbying priorities during Q1 included outreach on the IANA transition process and cybersecurity issues.

The Software and Information Industry Association was one of the few industry groups to report an increase in lobbying spending for Q1 over the same period last year, saying it spent $300,000 during the quarter, vs. $280,000 in spending in Q1 2014. The group said its priorities included copyright issues like efforts to revamp the U.S. Copyright Office, cybersecurity bills like S-754, domain name issues, E-rate changes and patent litigation overhaul.

Most other industry groups either maintained their level of spending from last year or spent less. The Computer & Communications Industry Association’s reported spending dropped to $40,000 for Q1, down from $230,000 during the same period last year. The group said its main issues during the quarter included copyright and patent legislation, trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and immigration legislation. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers spent $70,000 on lobbying by Thorn Run Partners and less than $5,000 on lobbying by Mitchell Silberberg, with both firms focusing on copyright and performance rights legislation like the Songwriter Equity Act (HR-1283/S-662). ASCAP's Q1 spending was down from the $105,000 it spent during the same period last year on lobbying by The Capitol Group. NetChoice reported $76,423 in spending for the quarter, down from the $111,013 it spent during the same period last year. Morgan Lewis reported $67,000 in income for lobbying on NetChoice’s behalf.