Google Hires In-House Lobbyist To Address A Range Of Issues Before Congress

Sep 20, 2007 at 9:04am ET by Greg Sterling

Anyone who believes that the United States is a truly free market should think again. The US government is in so many instances the gatekeeper or arbiter for the spoils of public assets, such as wireless spectrum. And Google has discovered how central political favor in Washington to its fortunes.

In 2005 Google opened an office in Washington, D.C. and hired outside lobbying firms to advocate on its behalf with Congress. Now, according to this Fox News report, it has hired an “in-house” lobbyist.

This represents a ratcheting up of its efforts on Capitol Hill. There are a great many issues at stake for Google that are being addressed and debated by Congress: Net Neutrality, foreign worker visas, the openness of wireless networks, Internet privacy and, of course, anti-trust issues that surround its intended acquisition of DoubleClick.

Buzz It

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land, and writes a personal blog Screenwerk, examining the broader world of media and advertising. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet.

See more articles by Greg Sterling >

Share, Bookmark & Discuss This Article
More:

Keep Updated: News Via Email | News Via RSS Feed | News Via Twitter

See more stories like this in the Members Library! Check out the Google: Business Issues, Google: Marketing, Google: Offices, Google: Other sections of the Members Library where this story is filed. Members also get access to exclusive video content, a members-only weekly & monthly newsletter, plus more. Check out all the benefits!

Comments are closed.

TOP STORIES

See All »

SEARCH NEWS BRIEFS

See All »

FEATURES & ANALYSIS

See All »

RECENT COMMENTS

Shari Thurow said " Hi all- Information architects, at least the most knowledgeable ones, understand the main finding be"
nuttakorn said " I think 2010 is about Real-time and personalize search algorithms that Google will pay attention to "
nuttakorn said " I just heard many sources that Google.cn will shut down tomorrow. You can see this source of news fr"

See All »

See How To Articles And More In Our Members Library »

FREE DAILY SEARCH NEWS RECAP!

SearchCap is a once-per-day newsletter update:

STAY CURRENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Our feed & social options update you as news happens.

SEARCH ENGINE LAND SPONSORS

Advertise With Us »

UPCOMING SEARCH ENGINE LAND CONFERENCES

Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.

SMX Web Site » | SMX Difference » | SMX News »

Join us at an upcoming SMX event:

UPCOMING SEARCH ENGINE LAND WEBCASTS

Learn more about search marketing with our free online webcasts and webinars from our sister site, Search Marketing Now. Upcoming online events include: