Merger reviews bring lobbying dollars

A handful of telecom companies with mergers before government regulators saw their lobbying bills go up in the second quarter of the year.

Charter Communications, which is pushing for regulatory approval of its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable, posted a $1.06 million lobbying bill in the second quarter, compared to $620,000 during the same period in 2014. Lobbying from Comcast, which pulled its merger plans with Time Warner Cable amid regulator concerns, decreased to $3.8 million, from $4.45 million this time in 2014.

AT&T and DirecTV, which are waiting for approval on their deal, also posted slight increases. AT&T spent $4.1 million in lobbying, an increase of about $300,000 from the same period last year. DirecTV spent $730,000, compared to $590,000 at the same time last year.

Some telecom trade groups saw their lobbying spending decline in the second quarter as a major fight over network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission moved to the courts. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association spent $2.95 million, the lowest quarter in more than a decade and more than $1 million less than this time last year. CTIA - The Wireless Association spent $1.76 million, compared to $2.16 million this time last year.