Tech, telecom vendors spend millions on lobbying in DC

Google, Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon Communications ranked among the top spenders on US government lobbying in 2013, with Apple and Facebook increasing their lobbying expenses significantly, according to year-end lobbying reports.

Comcast ranked fifth among all organizations in US government lobbying spending through the first three quarters of 2013, and the company spent $20.7 million for the full year, compared to $14.7 million in 2012, according to lobbying disclosure forms filed with the Office of the Clerk in the US House of Representatives. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, a trade group representing cable TV and broadband providers, ranked ninth through the first three quarters, and spent $19.9 million for the full year. AT&T ranked 11th, Google 13th and Verizon 17th in lobbying expenses for the first three quarters.

"Policymaking in Washington is all about how much money you can throw around," said John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project director. "These tech guys are increasingly willing to spend whatever it takes to buy what they want."