Washington

Voices

Amazon Softens Stance on Taxes

Stu Woo, Staff Writer, The Wall Street Journal in Commerce on April 28 at 6:15 am PT

Amazon.com Inc. reached an agreement with Texas officials Friday to begin collecting sales taxes in the state starting in July and appears to be backing away from its long-held opposition to tax collection in states where it has warehouses and other facilities.

Google’s Q1 Federal Lobbying Receipt: $5M

Liz Gannes in News on April 23 at 3:45 am PT

Google spent $5.03 million on federal lobbying in the first quarter of 2012, according to a regulatory document filed Friday.

Congress to Apple: One More Thing …

John Paczkowski in News on March 14 at 2:44 pm PT

Looks like Congress isn’t quite through scrutinizing Apple’s consumer privacy protections.

BlackBerry Use Inside the Beltway Notches Down [Updated]

John Paczkowski in News on March 12 at 4:30 am PT

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, once the undisputed leader inside the Beltway, is losing traction in the halls of power.

Uber Gives D.C. Residents Presidential Treatment

Lauren Goode in News on February 21 at 10:20 am PT

Buzzy start-up Uber, which allows users to order a car service through a smartphone app, woos customers in Washington, D.C., after facing opposition from the District’s taxi commissioner.

News Byte

Google’s 2011 Lobbying Expenses Climb to $9.68 Million

John Paczkowski in News on January 23 at 3:50 pm PT

Google’s interests in Washington these days are quite a bit broader than they once were: Competition, privacy, patent reform, copyright, H1-B visa reform, renewable energy — the list goes on. No surprise, then, that the company doubled its federal lobbying spending in 2011. According to the latest numbers from the Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, the search sovereign spent $9.68 million in 2011 on federal lobbying — 88 percent more than it spent in 2010.

Voices

“Nerd Lobby” Shows Muscle in Debate Over Piracy Bills

Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on January 18 at 3:51 pm PT

Late last fall, a select group met in the White House Situation Room to discuss U.S. Internet security and how it might falter if two anti-piracy bills being debated in Congress were to pass.

News Byte

More Internet Heavy Hitters Speak Out in SOPA Saga

Lauren Goode in News on December 15, 2011 at 8:53 am PT

In an open letter to Congress this morning, a group of prominent Internet engineers has spoken out against the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which are under consideration in the House and Senate. The group argues that censorship of Internet infrastructure will cause network errors and security problems, and points to China and Iran as examples. The letter comes on the heels of yesterday’s opposition in an Open Letter to Washington from other tech heavyweights, including Sergey Brin, Jerry Yang, Reid Hoffman and Jack Dorsey.