Tech companies are spending big in the nation\u2019s capital, trying to exert influence on a wide array of policies. Google, Amazon, Facebook and others aren\u2019t just trying to woo lawmakers on internet regulations, but also drones, cars, intelligence and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems as though the internet companies have decided to really invest more in Washington,\u201d <\/em>Viveca Novak, editorial and communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, told The Hill. \u201cOnly more recently have internet companies realized policies in Washington are extremely important to them and they need to play the same game that many other corporations do to be heard.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Google, under parent company Alphabet Inc., was the 11th biggest lobbying client on Capitol Hill between January and the end of June 2016, spending $8 million<\/a>, while Amazon finished 20th on the Center for Responsive Politics\u2019 list of top spenders<\/a> in the first half of this year with $5.8 million spent on Washington advocacy<\/a>. The US Chamber of Commerce ranked first, spending $52.3 million.<\/p>\n Alphabet is on pace to spend just less than the $16.7 million it spent on lobbying for all of 2015, but far less than the $18.2 million Google spent in 2011<\/a>. Although it was the top internet company in tech lobbying, Alphabet \u00a0came in second among its telecom rivals, with AT&T snagging the top spot for that part of the technology industry, spending $8.6 million, making it the 8th biggest spender in Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think it is important to be part of that discussion and to help policymakers understand our business and the work we do to keep the internet open and to encourage economic opportunity,\u201d<\/em> a Google spokesperson said in a statement.<\/p>\n Alphabet is also a top contributor to 31 members of Congress, meaning that it ranks in the top 100 for most contributions to those lawmakers. However, it falls well short of the 341 politicians for whom AT&T serves as a top contributor. Alphabet is the top lobbyist for certain corporate issues as well, including copyright, patents and trademarks; labor and antitrust; consumer product safety; and science and technology. Homeland security; radio and television broadcasting; law enforcement and crime; and the automotive industry<\/a> were among other issues the company was interested in.<\/p>\n