Advertising trade group spent $250,000 on government lobbying during the second quarter

Ad trade group spent $250,000 lobbying in 2Q

WASHINGTON — The Association of National Advertisers spent $250,000 in the second quarter lobbying the federal government on issues ranging from data security breaches to the volume of TV commercials.

That’s up slightly from the roughly $240,000 the group spent a year ago and in the first quarter, according to Congressional disclosure forms.

ANA represents an industry that is facing new scrutiny from lawmakers as advertisers collect more data about consumer behavior online in order to better target marketing campaigns. The group lobbied on a bill known as the Data Breach Notification Act, which would require companies to disclose security breaches involving sensitive personal information.

It also lobbied the Commerce Department on its review of how privacy laws could affect innovation on the Web.

The group also had a say on more long-standing issues, lobbying the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate on the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, which would require the Federal Communications Commission to set standards on the volume of TV commercials.

The bill would prohibit TV advertisements from using volumes that are noticeably louder than the programs on which they are broadcast. Lawmakers have said loud commercials are among the chief complaints made to the FCC.