Thread: Microsoft Leads Tech Lobbying Pack

eweek.com
Microsoft Leads Tech Lobbying Pack
By Roy Mark
2008-06-04

Winning friends and influence in Washington isn't cheap. Big Tech took a lesson from Big Pharm and spent a fortune on lobbyists.

Led by Microsoft's $2.9 million in lobbying spending in the first quarter alone, the IT industry is on pace to set a tech lobbying spending record of $119 million this year, eclipsing last year's $110 million.

According to numbers compiled by eWEEK from OpenSecrets.org, a database of political contributions and lobbying spending by the Center for Responsive Politics, Microsoft projects to spend more than $10 million in 2008 on lobbying. In 2007, Microsoft spent $9 million in lobbying.

Following Microsoft in projected 2008 lobbying spending are IBM ($7.5 million), Oracle ($4.7 million), EDS ($3.7 million), and Texas Instruments ($3.6 million). Rounding out the top projected spenders are EMC ($2.9 million), Yahoo ($2.5 million), Google ($2.4 million), SAP ($2.3 million) and Intel ($2.2 million).

"As tech becomes more mainstream, you'll see even more spending on lobbying," Microsoft spokesman Ginny Terzano said. "At Microsoft, we feel it is our responsibility to help shareholders and consumers to get good policies in place."

And that means spending big dollars to influence members of Congress and government agency officials. The payoff, though, can be handsome. As OpenSecrets notes, "The money that industries, companies, unions and issue groups spend on lobbying is often just a drop in the bucket compared to what they can reap in return if their lobbyists are successful."

For Microsoft and the tech industry, lobbying spending has increased every year since OpenSecrets began keeping records in 1998. That year, the industry spent $39 million in lobbying. Since 1998, the tech sector, annually led by Microsoft, has spent more than $700 million in lobbying.

"Ten years ago, tech lobbying was virtually non-existent," Terzano said. "The tech industry has really grown over the last decade and the issues continue to evolve."

While tech's $700 million in lobbying spending over the last 10 years is impressive, it pales in comparison to the pharmaceutical industry, which spent $1.3 billion over the same period to win influence and friends in Washington. Just behind big pharma is the insurance industry with $1.1 billion in lobbying expenditures. The telecom industry has spent more than $900 million.

Individually, Microsoft's spending on lobbying doesn't even crack OpenSecrets' top 20 lobbying spenders. Last year, for instance, Microsoft's $9 million was way back in the pack with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dropping $52.7 million on lobbying. General Electric came in second with $23.6 million. AT&T spent almost $17 million and Verizon laid out $12.7 million in lobbying dollars.

"We're a very young, robust industry," Terzano said. "So many issues that are critical today were totally off the radar 10 years ago. You're going to see an increase [in lobbying spending] because the [tech] issues are so much more prevalent."

For the tech industry, those issues include patent reform, immigration reform and a continuing push for free trade agreements. In the 110th Congress, tech has so far made only limited progress on those issues.

The U.S. House passed a patent reform bill but the legislation has stalled in the Senate, largely blocked by big pharma. The broader fight over immigration reform has trip wired tech's specific interest in more H1-B visas. Lawmakers are even finding free trade agreements, a staple of both Democrats and Republicans, have become sensitive issues."You have to work hard to inform lawmakers on those issues," Terzano said.

For the tech sector, that translates into even more lobbying dollars.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Government/Mic ... ying-Pack/

Bill Gates also spends a lot in support of abortions and other forms of family planning.

Then he turns around, whines about not enough workers and supports bringing in his preferred residents.

Can't he afford to go where his workers live?

Sad state of affairs for this country!

Notice the Chamber of Commerce alone spent $53 million lobbying for their interests which of course includes amnesty. Not to mention all the other millions spent by the OBL/cheap labor lobby.

So don't forget to make your donation to ALIPAC, Numbers etc. today.