Cell phone group CTIA spent $2.03 million in second quarter to lobby gov’t on taxes, patents

CTIA spent $2.03M lobbying in second quarter

WASHINGTON — CTIA-The Wireless Association, which represents cell phone companies, spent $2.03 million in the second quarter to lobby the federal government on the taxation of employer-provided phones, among other issues, according to a disclosure report.

That’s in addition to money spent by CTIA’s members. AT&T Inc., for example, spent $3.09 million on lobbying in the second quarter

CTIA’s spending is up from the $1.28 million it spent in the same period last year, but down from the $2.18 million it spent in the first quarter of 2010.

According to the report filed on July 29 with the House clerk, the industry group lobbied on a wide range of issues, including patent reform, the use of minerals from rebel-held mines in Congo in electronics, the allocation of radio spectrum, and a law that would require buyers for prepaid phone service to present identification.