Facebook Makes Hill Presence Official
Silicon Valley social networking sensation Facebook -- which earlier this spring hired former American Civil Liberties Union senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani as public policy director for its growing Washington, D.C. office -- took another inside-the-Beltway step late Monday. The company submitted its first ever lobbying registration forms for Sparapani and his colleague Adam Conner with the House's Legislative Resource Center and the Senate's Office of Public Records. The chief focus of their Capitol Hill efforts will be Internet privacy, according to the forms. Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly, who is also a Democratic candidate for California attorney general, testified last week at a joint hearing on the issue held by the House Energy and Commerce Communications and Consumer Protection subcommittees.
In his testimony, Kelly told members that if they choose to legislate, they should focus on "actors that undermine instead of enhance user control over personal data." He was joined at the witness table by executives from Google and Yahoo -- two companies that have mature lobbying operations. Earlier this month, Yahoo announced that it will bring in Margaret Stewart, a former assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for legislative affairs. She serves as director of federal public policy, working under David Hantman. In the first quarter of 2009, Yahoo disclosed $460,000 in lobbying expenditures toward a range of topics including organized retail crime, Internet advertising and online child protection. In addition, Yahoo worked with outside lobbyists like Kountoupes Consulting; Ryan, MacKinnon, Vasapoli and Berzo; Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti and others.
Google's team -- Alan Davidson, Pablo Chavez, Harry Wingo, Richard Whitt, and Robert Tai -- spent $880,000 lobbying in the first quarter on similar topics. They also weighed in on patent and copyright reform, cloud computing, and broadband and spectrum issues. Their efforts were aided by Van Ness Feldman; Franklin Square Group; Podesta Group; King & Spalding; McBee Strategic Consulting; Wilmer Culter Pickering Hale and Dorr; and Dutko Worldwide.
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