Trade groups proliferate, vie for influence

When a member of Congress wants to know what the oil industry thinks, a single call to the American Petroleum Institute usually does the trick. Same goes for PhRMA, the umbrella group for pharmaceutical companies. But good luck getting an easy answer from the tech industry: Groups claiming to represent one slice of the sector or another are sprouting so fast that even tech insiders have trouble keeping up.

At least half a dozen trade groups cater specifically to technology companies in Washington. Another half-dozen represent the major telecom firms. And a smattering of coalitions stands for clusters of companies on narrower issues such as patent and immigration reform. “It can be hard keeping them all straight,” a Senate aide said. Now the NetCoalition group is trying to expand its efforts to speak for Internet companies — such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and eBay — on issues unique to the Web: privacy, copyright and online taxes. Yet another coalition is being spearheaded by AT&T and Verizon to help promote smart grid technology. Some Silicon Valley execs privately complain that there is now such a patchwork of associations that they have to hire a consultant just to manage all their memberships and juggle conference calls. They often feel pressured to join coalitions just to keep tabs on what their competitors are doing. The proliferation of lobbying arms reflects the tech industry’s maturing operations in Washington. And unlike, say, Hollywood movie studios, tech companies take a wide range of positions that often are at odds, so no single group can claim to speak for all. The downside of that diversity, though, is real: Diluting the message of a growing sector that has struggled to find its voice inside the Beltway.