Internet Association bolsters lobbying force

{mosads}”The Internet sector is working every day to increase America’s economic competitiveness, grow the economy and create jobs. We have an important story to tell, particularly in the areas of patents, privacy and immigration and we’ve assembled a top-notch team to ensure that the Internet’s voice is heard in Washington,” Beckerman said in a statement. 

Both firms already lobby on behalf of a handful of top tech and telecom clients, some of which are members of The Internet Association. For instance, Franklin Square Group lobbies for Google, and Kountoupes Denham counts Yahoo as a client.

The Internet Association represents Silicon Valley Web giants in Washington, including publicly traded companies like Google and Facebook, as well as up-and-coming outfits such as Airbnb and Rackspace Hosting. The trade group launched this fall and has an in-house team of six people.

It also works with public affairs firm HDMK and former NetCoalition Executive Director Markham Erickson, now a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, serves as general counsel to the group.