What they’ll be talking about at the next CES

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CEA / Consumer Electronics AssociationThe Consumer Electronics Association will be holding the 2014 International CES from January 7 through January 10 next year in Las Vegas, and we have an agenda that tells us what topics are on the table with broadcast implications.


Here, from CEA, are selected items of interest, with our comments added.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

* Stop Fighting and Fix It: Making Music Licensing Work for Innovators, Artists and Consumers, features musician and entrepreneur Hank Shocklee and Steven Marks, chief of digital business and general counsel with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), focusing on how to modernize the music licensing system to benefit entrepreneurs, musicians and consumer.
RBR-TVBR observation: There is no explicit mention of broadcast radio here, but every single time this topic comes up, broadcast gets dragged in. So expect that to happen once again.

* Driving Towards the Future: Pro-Innovation Policies and the Connected Car, explores the challenges and opportunities in the future of automobiles. Panelists include Hilary Cain, national manager of technology and innovation policy for Toyota Motor North America. The session is produced in conjunction with the Global Automakers and Auto Alliance.
RBR-TVBR observation: Here’s a chance to learn how many and what type of competitors are heading into America’s automotive fleet.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

* Spectrum Spectacular: Slicing the Nation’s Airwaves, features a panel of experts including Austin Schlick, director of communications law at Google, and Gary Epstein of the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force. The session will focus on key issues ranging from the FCC’s upcoming voluntary broadcast incentive auctions, to federal spectrum sharing, to unlicensed versus licensed spectrum.
RBR-TVBR observation: They want our spectrum, and they want it now. What sort of actions will CEA members push for in the event they aren’t happy with auction participation by television broadcasters who wish to remain in business?

* The FCC’s Regulatory Agenda for 2014, hear what the FCC commissioners have to say about important regulatory and policy issues, including spectrum allocation, accessibility, regulatory reform and other hot topics dominating the conversation in 2014.
RBR-TVBR observation: Wireless broadband has dominated FCC proceedings since the DTV transition was completed, and we see no reason to expect that to change any time soon.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

*Nothing of interest.
RBR-TVBR observation: And that means that over the course of three days, there will be no formal discussion of activating FM chips on mobile devices, or at least not one that we noticed. Oh well…