Uber hires first DC lobbying firm

Uber, which allows people to hire private drivers using a mobile app, has waged battles across the country with local regulators. Now the company has hired its first Washington lobbying firm, according to public disclosure forms. The Franklin Square Group, which focuses on technology issues, said it will lobby for Uber on "innovation in the transportation marketplace." The firm has assigned five lobbyists, all former Capitol Hill staffers, to the account. Many cities have transportation regulations that make it difficult and sometimes impossible for Uber to operate. Taxi drivers have also urged regulators to crack down on Uber. Federal agencies, however, have been friendlier to the transportation start-up.