Big Tech Firms All Upped Their Lobbying Dollars in 2014

Silicon Valley made its presence felt in Washington in 2014 the old-fashioned way.

Burying lobbyists in a cavalcade of cash.

Google spent more than ever before in Washington, shelling out $16.83 million in 2014, almost $3 million more than in 2013, according to PandoDaily.

That might not seem like a lot for a company the size of Google. It's more than the $9.34 million, $4.74 million, and $4.1 million spent by Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, respectively, the Web site reported.

All of those spending figures were double-digit increases in lobbyist spending for those firms.