Comcast takes lobbying to new heights
At a museum near the U.S. Capitol three weeks ago, 700 guests sampled bratwurst and vodka and watched the Olympics. Comcast Corp.’s David Cohen addressed the crowd, which included the Russian ambassador.
Four nights later, Cohen donned a tuxedo, bow tie and cummerbund for a White House state dinner.
Companies often want their lobbyists to hobnob with lawmakers and regulators. Comcast takes that to new levels, increasing lobbying expenditures 23 times over 2001 levels, to $18.8 million last year — behind only Northrop Grumman Corp. in spending by a single company.
Comcast has a new target for its lobbying: regulatory approval for a $45.2 billion deal to buy Time Warner Cable Inc.
“They are ubiquitous,” said Gene Kimmelman, the Justice Department’s former chief competition counsel. “They really have everything covered at the highest levels of skill and experience.”
Led by Cohen, executive vice president in charge of government affairs, Comcast deploys more than 100 lobbyists, donates millions of dollars to politicians through its political action committee, gets help from charities it supports and enlists two former senators, three retired House members and a former Federal Communications Commission member.
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