“While Apple’s success has earned rock-star status in Silicon Valley, its low-wattage approach in Washington is becoming more glaring to policymakers. Despite its increasing influence over consumers’ use of technology — most recently with the iPad and iPhone 4 — Apple has kept a particularly low profile inside the Beltway,” Hart reports. “‘It’s unfortunate because they are a major player in this area, and we are going to continue to have a long, in-depth conversation,’ on these topics, said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), who presided over theprivacy hearing, referring to Apple’s empty seat at the witness table.”
MacDailyNews Take: Wonder if they’re really concerned about the lack of Apple’s presence or presents?
Hart continues, “It is one of the few major technology companies not to have a political action committee. While CEO Steve Jobs supported the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, he hasn’t been especially active in political fundraising or races. Gore now sits on Apple’s board of directors.
“Compared with other tech giants, Apple’s lobbying expenditures are small,” Hart reports. “In 2009, Apple spent only $1.5 million to lobby the federal government, less than Amazon, Yahoo and IBM. In 2009, Google, for example, spent $4 million, Microsoft $7 million and AT&T $15 million… In the first quarter of this year, Apple spent $560,000 on lobbying, according to disclosure reports. During the same period, Google spent $1.4 million and Microsoft spent $1.7 million. ‘They’ve been very focused on their own innovation, and they don’t have a history of coming to town to get their competitors regulated,’ said Jonathan Zuck, president of the Association for Competitive Technology. ‘But they’re expanding into so many areas that they’re going to find themselves in other companies’ cross hairs, so they probably should be ready to play defense.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Lack of presents, as suspected.
“‘They don’t have the arrogance of Google, nor does Steve Jobs think he’s in the Obama cabinet like Eric Schmidt does,’ one tech industry lobbyist said,” Hart reports. “To handle discussions on the Hill, Apple hired Franklin Square Group, a technology-focused lobbying firm started by Josh Ackil, former White House aide in the Clinton administration and tech adviser to former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. Paul Margie of Wiltshire & Grannis does much of the company’s work at the FCC. Apple has visited the FCC only four times in the past three years, according to agency records.”
Hart reports, “Apple may be forced to change that strategy as it pushes into new markets.”
There’s much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Alternate headline: “Washington insiders concerned about their palms’ lack of Apple grease.”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “JB” for the heads up.]
MDN, I love your play on words. I think you nailed it. What is happening? These scumbags should be careful. The governments used to be able to print history in the textbooks as they saw fit. With the internet and every citizen equiped with cameras and access to post to the net and the world’s eyes, there is no more business as usual. Society has been given real time access to what these jerks are up to. Can’t these idiots see the freight train heading towards them?
“His company has zero debt and a huge cash horde (versus the Fed government)”
But when you look back you’ll find it was the conservatives (ie: Republicans like Reagan Bush) who drove up massive government debts. Not Democrats.
My take is Steve Jobs is Steve Jobs and like most people, is neither conservative nor liberal. Why people feel the need to label someone as this or that is beyond my comprehension.
I thought congress had more important things to worry about. Like which baseball players are using performance enhancing drugs.
Scum. All of them.
@ApplePi
“Ya know seriously… This is just gross. Is Apple doing anything wrong? NO. But if you don’t homage to the powers that be, you’re screwed.”
Yeah, this sickens me too. Is this what the Gov’t has come to? Very sad indeed.
Why make a big deal about Apple’s secrecy? They are required to be tight-lipped about future products by the Securities Commission. It helps promote an effiecient market. Hence, all the speculation being done by (potential) investors.
We need to lose the Kenyan Muzzie moron
MDN’s take hits the nail squarely on the head – these Politicos are more concerned that their palms aren’t being greased than for anything else…
Today, I disagree with the MDN Take. I would like to know what the privacy issues are going to be. If Apple and Google don’t show up, then they should not complain if Congress makes some rules about privacy that are below par.
@ kent
Apple also collects taxes on sales to all 50 states and sends that money to the government regardless of if they have business in that state or not.
All in all, the entire post was a very weak attempt at… something.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> I’m not sure what, but regardless of what IT was, the attempt was weak.
Congress had better watch out. Apple could retaliate by bringing its technical prowess to bear on the vote counting mess, or better yet develop online, real time democracy to eliminate the failing, always for sale to the highest bidder representative form of democracy. Lobbyists would have to learn to grow tomatoes if they couldn’t buy off congressmen.
Government of, by and for the people should be open source. I think I’ll call up iVote on my iPhone right now and vote yes.
The US Congress irks me, especially that Rockefeller fella from West Virginia.
Congress is “concerned”?!? WE have been concerned for over a year now (some for longer) about their actions and they’re blowing us off. They shouldn’t be surprised when they get blown off. Admittedly, Apple is not attending for different reasons, but, nonetheless, is blowing it off and, I would hope, is trying to stay out of politics.
When a government has slid down to these depths of depravity it’s time to throw the bums out and start fresh. Too bad it’s big business inside the beltway.
Apple is poised to become bigger than oil, and we all know how well the oil industry takes care of Wasington.
Apple is like BP, a company with deep pockets and thus a target for the politicians in Washington. The political risk is significant and immeasurable, given the climate in kick-ass Washington.
There can be no question but that the politicians and bureaucrats are engaged in warfare against successful U.S. companies, to the point where political risks have become the greatest business risk faced by large corporations. Under the circumstances, the deeper the pockets, the higher the risk. Hence, Apple should divest itself of excess cash, which means declaring significant dividends to its present shareholders. One suspects the main reason it doesn’t is it is using stock options to favour insiders and employees; that’s conflict of interest and unfair to the shareholders. In addition it should split the stock to get wider stockholder participation and thus more citizen participation against the political class. It should also move its head office to Canada, where corporate taxes are being reduced, and where the government does not permit corporate contributions to political campaigns.
@HisShadow
You did not refute a single thing I said. Apple is a great company purely because Steve Jobs acts conservatively. Face it – liberals HATE private entitities that make money. They hate the private sector. They love the government.
Steve Jobs IS the private sector.
@ DISPOSABLE IDENTITY – you say “But when you look back you’ll find it was the conservatives (ie: Republicans like Reagan Bush) who drove up massive government debts. Not Democrats.”
Partly true. When Bush left office, after 2 years of a Democrat controlled Congress, the annual deficit was about $450 billion. Now, after 2 year of FULL DEMOCRAT control, the deficit is roughly 4 times that – about $1.9 TRILLION. So, next time check the facts. Both parties spend way too much. Democrats spend at lest 4 times more, and are not done yet.
Two idiot Democrats looking for a handout and for some free press. They are terrified about the elections this year and need some more capital.
I am a Democrat and this just pisses me off.
our current goverment as a whole just sickens me…. arrogant and selfish are the 2 main words that come to mind…..
@His Shadow
Touché. Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m so tired of the seeming lack of ability or interest in having a reasoned discussion. Instead, vilifying and pigeon holing the opposition is the rule of the day. Infantile, IMHO, especially when politicians of every stripe are just as corrupt and just as likely to spend money that isn’t there, reduce our freedoms and get wildly rich doing it.
Just another illustration that Apple represents everything that is going well for this country and Congress represents everything that is going wrong.
Unfortunately, the tea-partiers can’t solve this alone, we need a populist uprising across the entire political spectrum.
lack of PAC and low end lobbying efforts are all a GOOD thing…unlike all the other so-called capitalists who are continually trying to get congress to pass more $$ their way
if Apple doesn’t need it to succeed why do others?
Union of Soviet Socialist Democrats
Too much government that is full of itself …. they feel they have to be in everybody’s business whenever they want when in fact they work for us the people.
Be glad in the fact that Apple behaves like medium and smaller companies and does what it does… on it’s own. The problem is that way too many industries take use their money to make their money easier by lining the pockets of BOTH parties.
It seems that the consensus is mostly the same. Our corrupt politicians aren’t getting their fair share out of Apple. So now they want investigate. Is Steve Jobs a subversive, or is Apple involved in unlawful activities? If not, then start to focus on BP and the oil industry. Actually, you should investigate yourselves for corruption. Doesn’t the definition for corruption refer you to the definition for politician?