Google Ramps Up Lobbying Efforts

Google jacked up its lobbying spending, shelling out $950,000 to lobby lawmakers, regulators and the White House during the second quarter, compared with $880,000 during the first quarter and $730,000 in the year-ago period, according to The Wall Street Journal‘s Digits blog.

Topic covered by Google lobbyists included potential online-advertising regulation, increasing the adoption of cloud-computing technologies, expanded renewable energy policies, updates to the electric grid, the benefits of online advertising for small businesses and patent reform, according to Digits.

“There is a growing number of issues being debated in Washington affecting the Internet and our users, and we feel it is important to be involved in those debates,” Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich told Digits.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.