Three of Microsoft's key competitors together spent about as much money last year to influence Washington as Microsoft did alone, new reports to the government show.
Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and Netscape spent a total of about US$2 million on lobbying in 1997, compared to Microsoft's $1.9 million. But of those three companies, only Oracle increased its spending last year.
Oracle's lobbying expenditures rose 50 percent between 1996 and 1997, from $600,000 to $900,000. Microsoft's increased by 67 percent during the same period.
By contrast, Sun cut back its Washington lobbying from $600,000 in 1996 to $420,000 in 1997. And Netscape, which spent $960,000 in 1996, dropped to $724,000 in 1997.
A lawyer for Netscape said the company cut back on lobbying because some issues on which the firm lobbied had died down or been taken over by broader coalitions, like encryption and copyright, Internet telephony, and domain names.
Oracle has donated more than $168,000 in campaign contributions in the current election cycle, all but $7,000 to Democrats. Microsoft has given $183,000 so far in the 1998 campaign.
Netscape retained two outside lobbying companies in 1997, Piper & Marburry and MSP Communications Inc.
Sun has retained none, choosing instead to do all of its own lobbying.
Oracle retained a half dozen firms: Apco Associates, Arthur Andersen, Collier Shannon Rill & Scott, Hill & Knowlton, JBC International, and Michael Lewan Co., in addition to lobbying itself.
