NAB has hired lobbying firm Bluewater Strategies in its fight against the satellite merger, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
In a filing at the Senate Office of Public Records, lobbyists Tim Kurth, Andrew Lundquist and George Nethercutt, former Republican representative from Washington, said they would represent the NAB on the merger and other issues.
“The Bluewater hiring builds upon other steps by NAB, and by an NAB-funded organization to recruit big-name Republicans — including former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore — to lobby against the merger,” the Web site’s Drew Clark reported.
“In addition to opposing the merger and other antitrust-related issues, Bluewater Strategies plans to tackle advertising restrictions on broadcasting and what the firm calls the ‘performance royalty tax.’”
The publication quoted NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton saying, “It should not be a surprise to anyone that NAB retains outside consultants for advocacy work. That is par for the course for most trade associations.”
