Google lobbying spending reached new high in early 2015

By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Google Inc , already one of Washington’s biggest spenders, set a company record for its lobbying activity in the first quarter of 2015 when it spent $5.5 million, according to a government database. Google ranked ninth in terms of total lobbying spending in 2014 at $16.8 million, behind the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($124 million) and the National Association of Realtors ($55 million), according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The disclosure on lobbying expenditures comes as the company faces charges brought by the European Union that it demoted rivals in search results. Europe has also opened an investigation into allegations that Google uses Android to keep its dominance as consumers go mobile, while Google’s rivals are asking the U.S. Justice Department to also open a formal probe into Android in the United States.