Online search engine leader Google Inc. has hired a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. to influence the nation’s laws governing the Internet, telecommunications and copyrights. The Mountain View-based company announced its political push in a posting on its Web log, or (blog.)
Google’s presence in the nation’s capital represents another step in the 7-year-old company’s evolution from quirky upstart into one of the nation’s most influential businesses.
Google’s initial lobbying efforts will be orchestrated by Alan Davidson, a former computer scientist who has been an associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a group dedicated to protecting civil liberties and human rights on the Internet.
It seems that policymaking and regulatory activity in Washington, D.C. affect Google and our users more every day, wrote Andrew McLaughlin, the company’s senior policy counsel. It is important to be involved – to participate in the policy process and contribute to the debates that inform it. So we have opened up a shop there.
In his blog posting, McLauglin indicated that Google will pay special attention to telecommunications and copyright laws – two areas of strategic interest to the company. Our mission in Washington boils down to this: Defend the Internet as a free and open platform for information, communication, and innovation, wrote Andrew McLaughlin, senior policy counsel at Google, in a blog posting.
Lobbying for Broadband Competition
Among the policy issues that Google hopes to tackle is Net neutrality. As the company bids for the chance to operate a Wi-Fi network in San Francisco, the company hopes to head off legislative efforts by cable TV and phone companies, and other large ISPs Internet service providers, to block competition from municipal Wi-Fi networks.
The company also wants to build a free wireless Internet access service in San Francisco, a proposed project expected to spur opposition from established subscription-supported services. McLaughlin didn’t mention the issued raised by Google’s planned wireless service.
As voice, video, and data rapidly converge, Congress is rewriting U.S. telecommunications laws and deregulating broadband connectivity, which is largely a good thing, wrote Mr. McLaughlin.
But in a country where most citizens have only one or two viable broadband options, there are real dangers for the Internet, he added. Should network operators be able to block their customers from reaching competing web sites and services [such as Internet voice calls and video-on-demand]?
He also wondered if ISPs had the right to speed up their own sites and services, while degrading those offered by competitors.
And Mr. McLaughlin questioned whether providers of new online services and applications should be forced to seek permission from each broadband cable and DSL provider before they roll out their products.
Copyright Clash
Another area of concern for Google is copyrights. The company has clashed with the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, the Association of American University Presses, and other groups over its plans to digitize copyrighted books without permission for its Google Print online library project.
McLaughlin made a veiled reference to Google’s feuding with several publishing trade groups over its plan to scan millions of library books into its search engine index.
Google believes in protecting copyrights while maintaining strong, viable fair use rights in this new digital age, wrote Mr. McLaughlin. We support efforts by the U.S. Copyright Office to facilitate the use of orphan works “works whose rights-holders cannot be found” while fully respecting the interests of creators.
He added that Google supported the Supreme Court’s carefully calibrated decision in the Grokster case, but has worked to defeat legislation that would have created new forms of liability for companies like Google.
Google wants to maintain its status as a neutral tool free from liability if it happens to link to controversial subject matter.
Not surprisingly, we do not believe the Internet works well if intermediaries and ISPs are held liable for things created by others but made searchable through us, wrote Mr. McLaughlin. That is why Google will continue to oppose efforts to force us to block or limit lawful speech.
Instead, he added, Google will provide services such as SafeSearch to help users protect themselves online from adult-oriented web pages.
In addition, Google’s lobbyist will help the company participate in policy debates over privacy and spyware, trademark dilution, patent law reform, VoIP regulation, and other matters. The company entered the VoIP field in August with its Google Talk service.
The Internet policy world is fluid, so our priorities will surely morph over time, said Mr. McLaughlin.
In addition, Google plans to confront policy issues overseas, as well.
Acting Locally
On the local front, Google has launched its Google Local service officially in the United States and Canada, combining the original beta service with its Google Maps service, to provide users with maps, directions, and reviews.
With today’s launch of Google Local, users will be able to go to one location to find all the local and mapping information they need, said Marissa Mayer, director of consumer web products at Google.
Whether it’s directions to the nearest pharmacy or reviews of nearby dim sum restaurants, we will continue to develop innovative technologies that enrich our users’ lives, she added.
Google Local includes local search results, driving directions, draggable maps, satellite imagery, and keyboard shortcuts. The service combines mapping data with local information from Google’s web index and business listings such as Yellow Page directories.
The search giant also officially launched its Google Local service, merging together the beta version of the service with its Google Maps service. The move came only a day after rival Yahoo acquired the local events-listing site, Upcoming.org, to integrate with its own Yahoo Local search capabilities.
The Mountain View, California-based search giant sees a presence in Washington as a necessity as government becomes more involved in the Net’s development. Among its efforts, the government has worked to shield private U.S. companies from demands by the United Nations and other countries for multilateral control of the Net.