Top Government Officials To Attend 2001 International CES

CES To Address Key Technology Policy Issues

28-Dec-00

More than 40 key public officials will represent the U.S. federal and state governments at the 2001 International CES, Saturday, January 6 through Tuesday, January 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Elected and appointed officials along with key staff members from Capitol Hill, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several state governmental bodies will be at CES. Numerous government attendees also will participate in conference sessions specifically designed to educate the industry on the ways in which business and government can work together. ""CES is the world's leading source for the latest consumer technology information,"" said Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), sponsor and producer of the CES. ""Among the more than 110,000 international industry professionals expected at CES, are the top government officials who come to Vegas to learn about what's new and hot for consumers' ëworkstylesí and lifestyles. CES allows the consumer technology industry to build an important relationship with the public sector that facilitates communications throughout the year.""FCC Commissioner Michael Powell will join Gary Shapiro for a one-on-one conversation on Saturday, January 6 at 2:30pm. in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), room N256. Shapiro and Powell will touch on key policy issues before the FCC, ranging from digital television and broadband deployment, to the digital divide. FCC Commissioner Susan Ness and key members of Congress will participate in ""Going Digital: Is Congress Satisfied?"" on Sunday, January 7 at 10am. in the LVCC, room N256. The panel will discuss the future of digital and the technology-related legislation that might be considered in the evenly divided 107th Congress. Gretchen Beyer, Vice President of Public Policy for TechNet, will serve as moderator.On Monday, January 8 at 10:30am in N252, retailers, manufacturers and state officials will discuss the status and future of efforts to broaden state sales tax holidays on back-to-school items to include technology products. Tax holidays provide a temporary suspension of sales tax on designated products. In addition to promoting sales, tax holidays that include technology products appear to be an innovative way to bridge the digital divide. Among the panelists participating in the sales tax holiday discussion will be Rep. Robert Damron, Commonwealth of Kentucky (D-39th) and Tom Armstrong, Policy Director, Department of Revenue, State of Pennsylvania. Mandy Rafool, Senior Policy Specialist, Fiscal Affairs, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), will moderate the session.Several other government officials scheduled to attend the 2001 CES include Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), Rep. Philip M. Crane (R-IL), Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), Rep. Robert Ehrlich (R-MD), Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH), Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Eddie Bernice Reyes (D-TX), Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) and Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL). In addition to FCC Commissioners Ness and Powell, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson also is expected to attend the 2001 CES.Don Upson, Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia, and Caroline Boyd, Assistant Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia will be among state government representatives at the 2001 International CES.Other attendees representing the FCC include Robert Bromery, Chief, Allocations & Standards Division, Office of Engineering & Technology, Susan Fox, Deputy Chief, Mass Media Bureau, Bruce Franca, Deputy Chief, Office of Engineering & Technology, William Johnson, Deputy Chief (Policy), Cable Services Bureau, Deborah Lathan, Chief, Cable Services Bureau, Amy Nathan, Senior Counsel, Office of Policy & Planning, Robert Pepper, Chief, Office of Policy & Planning, Mark Schneider, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Commissioner Susan Ness, Alan Stillwell, Economic Advisor, Office of Engineering and Technology, Peter Tenhula, Legal Advisor, Office of Commissioner Michael Powell, and John P. Wong, Chief, Engineering & Technical Services Division, Cable Services Bureau.Jodie Bernstein, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Dennis Murphy, Economist, Division of Consumer Protection, and Thomas B. Pahl, Attorney Advisor, Office of Commissioner Orson Swindle also will represent the FTC.Additional conference sessions will address technology policy issues:- Online Privacy: New Technologies Empowering Consumers- The Music Quandary: Evolving Technology vs. Content Protection- Practicing Safe Download: Copy Protection for the Digital AgeFor more news on CES before, during and after the show, visit www.CESweb.org, the interactive source for CES information.

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