The Consumer Electronics Show -- often billed as the world's largest convention and exposition -- kicks off Wednesday in Las Vegas with a keynote by Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. The gathering, which features more than 2,700 exhibits, is a must-attend event for high-tech junkies who want to see the latest, greatest gadgetry -- but there is also plenty of policy talk to be had.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Robert McDowell are slated to speak -- as are Meredith Baker, acting chief of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab. Other big-ticket talks will feature Sony Corporation CEO Howard Stringer, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally, Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, and Cisco Systems Chairman John Chambers.
Panel sessions during the four-day event will address trade, media regulation, intellectual property and other issues that will be prominent on the agendas of the new Congress and administration of President-elect Barack Obama. Two particularly hot topics include "network neutrality" legislation that would ban discrimination of Internet content by broadband companies -- a proposal that Obama has supported -- and the nationwide transition to digital television, which takes place next month. Experts from a range of think tanks and trade groups will also be on hand to offer insight. Meanwhile, Martin's speech during Saturday's session comes just 10 days before he is slated to make way for Obama's as-yet undisclosed choice to chair the FCC.
Two sister conferences piggyback off CES: the Distributed Computing Industry Association's P2P Summit, which explores regulation and trends affecting the peer-to-peer technology industry, and Billboard's Digital Music Live event, which offers insight from industry insiders on the digital transformation of the music business -- including new music services and revenue models, social media and more. Both of these conferences take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center Wednesday.
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