Lobbying disclosure reports show Google multiplying its lobbying spending by more than a factor of three this quarter over the same quarter last year. So what is it lobbying for and against? No doubt the giant company has its fingers in many pots, but I would venture a guess that driverless vehicles - and the laws and regulations that will allow for their presence on US roads - is big focus of the Google effort.
At this point, the laws on driverless vehicles are all state laws, they are all different, and most do not conceive of a car without a steering wheel or a driver who can take over from driverless mode. Of the state laws, some only contemplate studying and testing of vehicles.
Perhaps one of the driverless vehicle manufacturers will go the Uber route and introduce its products before they are legal to operate in most places. The lobbying bucks being spent, however, suggest otherwise.
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