Google spent $16.5 million on lobbying as it fended off antitrust probe

Google nearly doubled its lobbying spending in 2012 as it came under the microscope of antitrust regulators.

The Internet giant spent $16.48 million trying to influence Washington policymakers last year, according to disclosure forms. The company spent $9.68 million on lobbying in 2011. Its spending in the fourth quarter was actually down slightly from previous periods. The company spent $3.35 million in the final three months of 2012, compared with $3.76 million in the same period in 2011.