I can’t help it. Lobbying just sounds like a dirty word to me. That said, faultless Apple spent $390K on lobbying. Issues important to Apple included patent reform, copyright, energy efficiency matters, electronic waste, trade issues, and research and development tax credits.
All of those things are clearly affect Apple’s bottomline, but I have to wonder what exactly they were lobbying for when it came to those issues. Finally, they lobbied on “legislation preserving the practice of treating all traffic on the Web equally, and on another bill to reform a federal program that awards subsidies for providing high-speed Internet service in schools, libraries and in rural areas”.
Well, based on that last part I think it’s clear that they argued for net neutrality and greater net access, two positive things.
I think it's funny that you start off by saying lobbying sounds 'dirty'. By dirty I assume you mean corrupt? Illegal? Shady? We live in a country where people can speak freely. When it's a company like Apple that we all 'believe' in, somehow we can see the positives. But if we heard a story about the 'big bad' oil companies lobbying we would automatically assume it is a negative. I'm not naive, but don't believe everything you see on the news.
Apple's has interests in FCC regulation, developing copyright legislation, and international trade, to name just a few things. I'm surprised that they only spend $390,000 in lobbying.
Lobbying isnt necessarily a bad thing...especially in those areas noted. While $390K may sound like a lot, its nothing in comparison to what some lesser firms, industries, etc. have spent in this area. To put things in perspective, I doubt you could by a home in the bay area for $390K.
Gregg
@Will, I don't think you're telling Derik anything he doesn't know, hence the apologetic tone. Lobbying seems dirty because 1) Jack Abramoff and other corrupt lobbyists and 2) politicians who smear "lobbyists" as a group as they attack opponents for taking money from, or developing relationships with, lobbyists. If lobbying doesn't seem tainted to you, you must not be paying attention.
Yes, people lobby on behalf of the environment, consumer rights, homeless people, veterans, and any number of worthwhile causes. The ones that make the news, however, have generally tried (and sometimes succeeded) in corrupting legislative processes in the interest of corporate greed.
This post is missing one critical bit of information $390,000 over what period? (A. the first quarter) Seems low to me too.