Google’s lobbying expenses exploded in the 2nd Quarter of 2011, reaching over $3 million for those three months, including direct lobbying and money spent by other firms on the companies behalf. This is a 64% increase just from the 1st Quarter of 2010. See Lobbying Disclosure Act Database at http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=submitSearchRequest
This doesn’t include the salary of Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, whose time is now largely devoted to government relations. Consumer Watchdog has argued that the government should investigate whether Schmidt must register as a lobbyist. “Schmidt could well have reached the threshold requiring registration as a lobbyist; he is clearly trying to influence policy,” said John M. Simpson, Director of the nonprofit group’s Privacy Project. “It certainly should be checked out.”
While a lot of press attention has been on the increase in the company’s direct lobbying expenses, the most significant increase has been in Google’s hiring of paid lobbying firms on its behalf. It spent $960,000 on such firms in the 2nd Quarter, up from $362,,500 in the 1st Quarter, a 260% increase. See graph below:
And the increase was not just more money spent with the same firms, but a hiring spree with firms across the ideological spectrum going on Google’s payroll. The full list of firms on Google’s payroll last quarter includes:
Bingham Mccutchen LLP
Chesapeake Enterprises
Crossroads Strategies, LLC
Crowell Strategies, LLC
Dutko Worldwide, LLC
Franklin Square Group LLC
Gephardt Group Government Affairs
Holland & Knight LLP
Mcbee strategic Consulting, Llc
Podesta Group, Inc.
Prime Policy Group
R. B. Murphy & Associates, Llc
The Ingram Group LLC dba The First Group
The Lugar Group LLC
The Madison Group
The Normandy Group, LLC
The Raben Group
Van Ness Feldman, a Professional Corporation