High Tech Firms Flex Political Muscle On Beacon Hill

BOSTON (AP) — The high-tech whiz kids are starting to flex their political muscles on Beacon Hill, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into lobbying aimed at appealing to Massachusetts lawmakers and helping craft public policy.

Last year, 77 high-tech companies spent about $5.4 million on lobbying — more than double the 48 companies that spent $2.4 million a decade ago. That's according to an Associated Press review of lobbyist reports filed with the state secretary's office.

The records not only offer a peak into the business of lobbying, but are another reminder of just how fast the pace of technology has accelerated.

Three of the top four firms doling out the most on lobbying in 2016 didn't even exist a decade ago. Those are Uber, DraftKings, and LevelUp, an electronic payment app.