Major cell phone manufacturer Motorola Inc. revealed in a recent disclosure report that in the first quarter the company spent $880,000 to lobby the federal government. According to the Associated Press, Motorola lobbied the government on laws such as those which discouraged the use of confict minerals by electronics manufacturers.
Just last week it was disclosed that Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, had directed their lobbying in a similar manner. Both companies are active members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) which for months has been working on proposals to address the issue of conflict minerals in the supply chain. These initiatives have received significant criticism from non-government organizations.
The new laws which Motorola and Research in Motion were lobbying against requires a company to verify whether or not the raw materials used to make their products are from conflict areas such as the Democratic Republic of Congo or the countries surrounding it.
For the 3 months ending June 2010, Motorola lobbied the United States Congress, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
Just last week it was disclosed that Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, had directed their lobbying in a similar manner. Both companies are active members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) which for months has been working on proposals to address the issue of conflict minerals in the supply chain. These initiatives have received significant criticism from non-government organizations.
The new laws which Motorola and Research in Motion were lobbying against requires a company to verify whether or not the raw materials used to make their products are from conflict areas such as the Democratic Republic of Congo or the countries surrounding it.
For the 3 months ending June 2010, Motorola lobbied the United States Congress, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
