Sprint, Twitter Post Lobbying Spending Increases for Q3
Sprint, Twitter and three tech and telecom industry groups reported increasing Q3 lobbying expenditures over the same period in 2017. Cox and others said spending dropped. The filing deadline was Monday night. Outside firms reported substantial income from lobbying on behalf of other telecom and tech companies and industry groups.
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Sprint spent $710,000, up 24 percent. At least 10 outside firms reported more than $347,000 from lobbying on the carrier’s behalf. Twitter posted $310,000 in expenditures, up 63 percent. Cox spent $780,000, down 9 percent.
USTelecom expended $470,000, up 4 percent. Ogilvy Government Relations reported $50,000 from lobbying on the group’s behalf. The Wireless Infrastructure Association reported $240,000, up 14 percent. Two outside firms reported $30,000 from lobbying for the group. The Computer and Communications Industry Association reported paying $50,000, up 150 percent. NetChoice spent $20,000, down 74 percent.
Comcast had the highest amount of expenditures via outside firms reported at our deadline, with those 37 entities reporting a combined $1.9 million. Twenty-three outside firms reported a combined $1.11 million from lobbying for T-Mobile, while 22 entities had $1.06 million from AT&T. Eighteen firms reported $885,000 in lobbying on behalf of Google.
Twenty-three firms received $741,000 total for lobbying for Verizon, while nine firms got $378,000 from Charter. Eight firms reported $360,000 in lobbying on behalf of Facebook, and entities got $260,000 from Qualcomm. Five posted $173,000 from Fox and three $115,000 from Disney.
Ten outside firms reported a combined $595,000 from lobbying for NCTA, and 11 firms $495,000 from CTIA. Eight firms reported $285,000 from NAB, while entities reported $102,500 from BSA|The Software Alliance. Outside firms reported $30,000 from both NTCA and the Consumer Data Industry Association.