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Google nearly doubled its federal lobbying expenditures last year, surpassing rival Microsoft in dollars doled out to influence legislators to consider its policy positions. The web big spent $9.68 million in 2011 on federal lobbying, an 88 % bounce from 2010, in keeping with filings late last week with the United States Senate Workplace of Public Information. Microsoft's federal lobbying hit $7.34 million final year, a 6 p.c gain. Neither firm instantly responded to queries about their lobbying spending. The increase in Google's spending got here during a 12 months when regulators and lawmakers ratcheted up investigations of the company's strategies and techniques. In September, the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee held hearings looking into questions about Google abusing its power in online search. In August, the corporate paid $500 million to settle claimswith the Justice Division over accepting adverts from rogue online voltaren Canadian pharmacies in violation of federal regulation. And in June, the Federal Trade Commission served Google with civil subpoenas, apparently probing the company's strategies for constructing its search business. The federal filings only require basic descriptions of the problems addressed by the assorted firms' lobbying actions, and effexor without a doctor prescription never particular positions on these issues. The filings additionally don't break down the spending particular to each subject. Google's newest filing says its lobbying spending coated the whole lot from "regulation of internet marketing; privateness and competition points in internet advertising" to "renewable energy insurance policies." As for particular payments it has put lobbying dollars towards, the corporate mentions the Do-Not-Monitor On-line Act of 2011, effexor without a doctor prescription the Spectrum Relocation Enchancment Act of 2011, and brand premarin the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, amongst others. effexor without a doctor prescription