Google's 4Q Lobbying Bill Rises 11 Pct To $1.24M

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Inc. spent $1.24 million promoting its agenda with U.S. lawmakers and regulators during the fourth quarter to cap the Internet search leader's most expensive year of lobbying yet.

The company's fourth-quarter bill for political persuasion rose 11 percent from $1.12 million during the same period in 2009, according to recently released records. For the full year, Google's 2010 lobbying tab totaled $5.16 million, a 28 percent increase from the previous year's bill of $4.03 million.

Google's lobbying budget has been steadily rising in recent years as the company has expanded into fields such as mobile phones and television.

The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., also has been spending billions to buy other Internet services to add more features to its search engine and expand the advertising network that generated most of its $29 billion in revenue last year.

Those ambitions are drawing increased scrutiny from government regulators concerned about the potential for Google to abuse its dominance in Web search to stifle competition.

The U.S. Department of Justice has been conducting an antitrust review of Google's proposed $700 million acquisition of airline fare finder ITA Software since July. A decision on whether to approve or challenge the deal is expected soon.

None of Google's fourth-quarter lobbying efforts were aimed at the Justice Department, according to according to a statement filed Jan. 20 with the House of Representatives clerk's office.

Google made its points in the October-December period with Congress and the office of the President along with a wide range of government agencies that included the Federal Trade Commission, the Commerce Department, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the National Institute of Standards & Technology, the Federal Communications Commission, the Library of Congress, the Office of Management & Budget, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and the U.S Trade Representative.

Besides its main business of online advertising, Google discussed a wide variety of topics: patent reform, online copyright laws, music licensing, privacy and data security, free speech, censorship, online competition, Internet security, tax laws and high-speed Internet access, among others. Google also trumpeted the benefits of hosting software applications over the Internet - a concept known as "cloud computing."

Although its spending on political influence has been rising at a rapid rate, Google still lags Microsoft Corp., one of its biggest rivals. Microsoft's lobbying expenses for 2010 totaled $6.9 million, including $1.71 million during the final three months of the year.

Google is spending far more than Apple Inc., another technology powerhouse that competes for advertising dollars in the mobile phone market. Apple spent $1.61 million on lobbying last year, including $380,000 in the fourth quarter.

Google's registered lobbyists in the fourth quarter included Pablo Chavez, former chief counsel to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Harry Wingo, former counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee; Johanna Shelton, former counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a former staffer for Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who chairs a House subcommittee on the Internet and technology; and Seth Webb, who has held a variety of positions for lawmakers and House committees.