Google this year has retained a quartet of lobbyists in Maryland to remove any roadblocks facing its fleet of driver-free Priuses. It’s tapped consultants in California, Utah, Georgia and other states where the company has tried to deploy its ultrafast Fiber Internet. In Illinois and beyond, Google has worked to battle back legislation that might affect Glass, its high-tech spectacles. And the tech giant has cozied up to leaders in New York state and New York City, while camping out in Massachusetts to seek changes in state tax laws. […]
Google similarly has trained its sights on new rules that would ban drivers from wearing Glass, its computer, while behind the wheel. Illinois and Delaware are two states that recently have considered such laws — and places where Google has mounted a lobbying defense.
Tony Romm
Interesting addition to my recent article about the future of self-driving cars; it seems Google already moves to secure their legal acceptance, even while more fundamental issues are a long way from being solved. On one hand it’s a sign of maturity, a sign Google no longer assumes anything with a Google logo will be instantly embraced by people, that building an entirely new product category will face many obstacles from numerous sources. On the other… I’m pretty sure that, if you build an awesome product (and, in this case, secure) that people can’t wait to buy, you will have little trouble getting legal approval for it.
As for Google lobbying to allow drivers to wear Google Glass… unless buyers get a free self-driving car with their Glass purchase, I don’t see how anyone would think Glass is any less distracting than phones and SMS! The days of ‘Don’t Be Evil!’ are long gone.
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