All the carriers' lobbyists

 

All the carriers' lobbyists
Between the ITC ban on Qualcomm's chipsets and the "open access" debate for the upcoming 700 MHz auction, regulatory issues were top of mind for wireless carriers during the first half of 2007. Their lobbyists on K Street sure were busy.

Verizon Wireless spent $2.04 million on lobbying during the first half of the year. The carrier lobbied on a myriad of issues: 700 MHz reallocation and public safety, the prevention of fraudulent access to phone records, the Google/YouTube lawsuit, digital 411, interoperability, emerging markets telecommunications funding, analog cutoff, patent reform, e911 and more. Here's a look at Verizon Wireless' spending habits on lobbying during the past three years. Note: All 2007 data in the following charts is for the first half.

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Sprint Nextel's $1.56 million in lobbying also addressed many issues: FCC deregulation of special access, spectrum issues and interoperability, antidumping law, electronic surveillance and special access proceedings before the ITC. Here's a look at Sprint Nextel's lobbying spending since 2005. Graph [2]

T-Mobile USA spent $912,000 on lobbying during H1 2007. The carrier aimed to influence government officials on issues that included extending the Internet tax moratorium, wireless tax moratorium, FCC oversight issues, Universal Service Reform, Same Number Act, the Broadcom vs. Qualcomm dispute, the presidential veto of the ITC ban on Qualcomm's chipsets and more. Here's T-Mobile USA's chart for the past three years. Graph [3]

While Alltel only spent $70,000 on lobbying during the first half of this year, its lobbyist seemed to be hard at work on issues that included restricting states from imposing a new discriminatory tax on cell phone services, requiring the FCC to issue a final order on the use of white space spectrum, preventing caller ID spoofing, requiring that VoIP providers have equal access to e911 as mobile carriers and more. Here's Alltel's recent lobbying activity. Graph [4]

Interestingly, AT&T's lobbying disclosure form is not yet available to the public. Unlike many of its rivals in telecommunications, AT&T files its documents the old-fashioned way--by "snail mail," not electronically. The Senate Records staff said it could take weeks or months before the data becomes available to the public.

In a slightly unconventional move, Virgin Mobile USA, the youth MVNO, spent its $20,000 in lobbying money on fighting youth homelessness. That's definitely one cause I didn't spot on any other carrier's filing. -Brian [5]