Big Tech’s shifting lobbying army

The fast-evolving internet ecosystem is changing how tech companies form alliances to lobby policymakers in Washington, Axios’ David McCabe writes.

The bigger picture: In the overall ecosystem, lines are blurring or becoming more stark among different tech, media and telecom companies.

• Telecom companies are producing content, while platform companies are exploring new services like internet connections. This means sectors are no longer staying in their lanes and regulatory scrutiny is shifting.

What’s happening:

• Comcast and AT&T, both telecom powers, are now the owners of members of the Motion Picture Association of America.
• Netflix recently left the Internet Association and joinedthe powerful MPAA — showing that it sees itself more as a media company than a tech company these days.
• The MPAA admitted Netflix, the first streaming-first studio to join the group, after its own membership shrunk thanks to the proposed Disney-Fox merger.
• Salesforce also leftIA, which reflects the way large enterprise companies look to differentiate themselves from online ad powerhouses Google and Facebook. So did Pandora after it was bought by Sirius XM.

Here’s a handy primer to keep the players straight…

Web giants and the upstarts:

• IArepresents some of the biggest web platforms — like Facebook, Google and Amazon — as well as startups like Handy and Thumbtack.
• Computer & Communications Industry Associationlobbies on behalf of many of the same companies, and defends tech giants against charges that they act monopolistically. (Google, Facebook and Amazon are all members.)
• INCOMPAStraditionally has represented “competitor” companies, now including entities like Netflix and Google as well as smaller telecom firms.
• Enginelobbies on behalf of startups.

Big tent tech:

• The Information Technology Industry Councilincludes both internet companies and broader tech players like Toyota, paying particular attention to fighting protectionist trade policies in recent years.
• Consumer Technology Associationhas a broad membership, including both hardware and software makers, and hosts the sprawling Consumer Electronics Show every year.
• BSA-The Software Alliancelobbies for enterprise software companies like IBM, Salesforce, Adobe and Siemens.

The telcos:

• USTelecomis a trade group that advocates for big telecom companies like AT&T and CenturyLink on issues such as net neutrality, where the industry successfully pushed for deregulation.
• NCTArepresents the cable industry.
• CTIAlobbies on behalf of the wireless industry on issues like spectrum access and 5G deployment.

Media:

• MPAArepresents the big Hollywood studios including its newest member, Netflix, as one of the most storied lobbying groups in Washington.
• Digital Content Nextrepresents publishers and is a consistent antagonist of Facebook and Google.

Be smart: Technology has seeped into every industry, so more players are being drawn into tech debates. The rush to regulate data privacy has roped in companies from health care to retail.

• Yes, but:More factions and alliances make it even harder to drive any sort of consensus on complicated policy issues.

Πηγή: axios.com