BlackBerry Ends Its In-House Federal Lobbying Operation

The BlackBerry Lobbying Termination Caps a Quiet Wind-Down in Washington

BlackBerry Ltd. has formally terminated its in-house federal lobbying registration, according to a Fourth Quarter 2025 LDA termination filing signed May 17, 2025, with an effective termination date of December 30, 2024. The BlackBerry lobbying termination marks the end of the Canadian cybersecurity and embedded software company's direct advocacy presence in Washington — at least under its own banner.

The filing reported $0 in lobbying expenditures for the quarter, consistent with a company that had already been scaling back. According to OpenSecrets data referenced in the research, BlackBerry spent $590,000 on lobbying in 2024 and just $140,000 in 2025 before pulling the plug.

Why It Matters

An In-House Operation Goes Dark

This wasn't a case of a client firing a K Street firm. BlackBerry Ltd. ran its own lobbying shop — it was both the registrant and the client on every disclosure. The BlackBerry Ltd. lobbying disclosure filings from 2025 show five total filings: four quarterly reports and the termination filing. Only one of those filings reported any spending — $120,000 in a single quarter — while the rest showed no financial activity.

For a company with approximately $535 million in annual revenue, significant U.S. government contracts spanning DHS and DoD, and a dedicated Washington subsidiary (BlackBerry Government Solutions), the decision to shut down its registered lobbying operation is notable. BlackBerry holds FedRAMP High authorization, won a seven-year DHS contract for its AtHoc emergency notification platform, and has its QNX operating system embedded in over 255 million vehicles globally. These are not the hallmarks of a company with nothing at stake in federal policy.

The Spending Trajectory Tells the Story

The sharp decline from $590,000 in 2024 to $140,000 in 2025 suggests BlackBerry's government affairs footprint was shrinking well before the formal lobbying disclosure act termination was filed. The $140,000 reported by OpenSecrets for 2025 — which exceeds the $120,000 found in BlackBerry's in-house filings — raises the possibility that the company may have retained outside lobbying firms during this period, though no such arrangements were identified in the available disclosure data.

No Replacement Firm Identified

The data does not show BlackBerry hiring an outside lobbying firm to pick up where its in-house operation left off. If outside firms have been engaged, those arrangements were not captured in the disclosures reviewed.

Broader Context

The Issues BlackBerry Cared About Are Still Very Much Alive

BlackBerry's federal lobbying in 2025 focused on two areas, according to its quarterly report filings:

Connected vehicle cybersecurity rules. BlackBerry lobbied on a Department of Commerce rulemaking — "Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain: Connected Vehicles" (15 CFR Part 791, RIN 0694-AJ56) — that addresses national security risks in connected vehicle technology supply chains. Given that BlackBerry's QNX platform is one of the dominant automotive operating systems worldwide, this rulemaking has direct commercial implications for the company.

The FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act. BlackBerry engaged on the annual NDAA, though its filings did not specify which provisions or amendments it targeted. The NDAA has historically been a vehicle for cybersecurity, AI, and defense technology provisions — all areas where BlackBerry has products and contracts.

Neither of these issues has been resolved. Connected vehicle cybersecurity regulation remains an active rulemaking, and the NDAA is a perennial legislative vehicle that passes annually. The policy questions BlackBerry was working on haven't gone away — but BlackBerry's registered presence in those fights has.

The Administration Change Looms Large

The termination date of December 30, 2024, coincides almost exactly with the transition from the Biden to the second Trump administration. Under Biden, CISA's "Secure by Design" initiative and the DHS Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative were key touchpoints for BlackBerry's lobbying. Under the new administration, CISA has faced leadership changes and budget scrutiny, altering the landscape for cybersecurity-focused companies.

BlackBerry's in-house team may have been built for a different political environment. The relationships and access points that mattered under one administration don't always carry over to the next.

Congressional Hearing Mentions Were Tangential

A search of congressional hearing transcripts over the past year turned up references to "BlackBerry" in two hearings, but the mentions appear to reference BlackBerry devices in the context of Biden family communications investigations — not BlackBerry Ltd.'s business or lobbying activities. There is no indication that congressional scrutiny of the company itself contributed to the termination.

The Bottom Line

BlackBerry Ltd. shut down its in-house federal lobbying operation at the end of 2024 after a year of declining spending. The company's BlackBerry federal lobbying program had been focused on connected vehicle cybersecurity regulation and the NDAA — issues that remain active and commercially relevant to a company with deep ties to U.S. government agencies and the global automotive software market.

No replacement outside lobbying firm was identified in the available disclosure data. The $140,000 in total 2025 lobbying spending reported by OpenSecrets leaves open the question of whether BlackBerry has quietly engaged external advocates, but the lobbying disclosure act termination filing makes clear that the company's own registered operation is done.

For a company that maintains FedRAMP High authorization, a seven-year DHS contract, and an operating system in a quarter-billion vehicles, the decision to go without a registered lobbying presence in Washington comes at a moment when the policy issues it cares about — vehicle cybersecurity supply chain rules, defense authorization, and federal IT procurement — are actively being shaped. Whether BlackBerry plans to re-engage through outside firms or has simply decided the cost of a D.C. presence no longer pencils out remains to be seen.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.