Major US technology firms like Facebook from Silicon Valley spends lobbying fortune on government

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Tech Companies Continue Pumping Millions Into Lobbying As Google Tops $3 Million, Facebook Spending Rises 10 Percent, Microsoft Posts Record $2.96 Million For Quarter, Says Consumer Watchdog

Technology companies continued to pump money into their lobbying efforts during the second quarter, with Google leading the pack spending $3.36 million on its effort to buy influence with federal legislators and policymakers, according to disclosure forms filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Microsoft spent $2.96 million in the second quarter, a company record, and up 47 percent from $2.01 million in the second quarter of 2012, the records filed on Monday show.

Google’s spending declined 14 percent from the record level of 2012 when it spent $3.92 million in the second quarter. During that year it was facing an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Facebook spent $1.06 million, a 10 percent increase from $960,000 in the second quarter of 2012.

“These lobbying expenditures are a sad commentary on the state of our democracy,” said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Policy. “Policymaking in Washington is all about who has the money and is willing to spend it.”

Google’s lobbying expenses topped telecommunications giant Verizon who spent $3.24 million, a decrease of 17 percent from $3.94 million in 2012. It almost matched AT&T’s effort of $3.74 million, an increase of 7 percent from $3.48 million in 2012. Other tech company second quarter lobbying expenditures as disclosed to the Clerk of the House of Representatives:

• Amazon spent $860,000, an increase of 25 percent from $690,000 in 2012.
• Apple spent $690,000, an increase of 47 percent from $470,000 in 2012.
• IBM spent $1.9 million, an increase of 90 percent from $1 million in 2012.
• Oracle spent $1.66 million, an increase of 13 percent from $1.47 million in 2012.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog