Silicon Valley spends big on lobbying

Spending on lobbying was up at many major Silicon Valley companies last quarter. Quarterly disclosure reports showed beefed up lobbying at many major firms, as the industry continues to grow its presence in Washington. Immigration, cybersecurity, surveillance reform and trade issues were all top for many companies.

• Google spent a total of $3.94 million this quarter, a $600,000 boost from the same period in 2013.
• Facebook spent more than $1 million more this quarter than the same period in 2013 -- $2.45 million compared to 2013’s $1.44 million.
• Yahoo ticked up its spending from $630,000 a year ago this period to $730,000 this quarter.
• Amazon bumped its K Street cash up to $1.18 million, a $400,000 increase from last year.
• Microsoft actually bucked the trend, dropping $1.66 million this quarter compared to $2.23 million the same time last year.
• Comcast padded K Street’s wallet by $4.23 million in the last three months, a $250,000 increase from last year, though actually a $220,000 drop from the second quarter.
• AT&T spent $3.47 million, an $830,000 drop from last year. Its merger partner, DirecTV, spent $640,000, a slight increase from last year.