LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. government's enhanced role in high technology is being felt at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, analysts say.
Highly anticipated appearances at the show by U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski are bringing attention to the White House's efforts to extend broadband Internet connectivity and spurring new Internet-based technologies in health care, energy and education, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
"What happens in Washington very much affects the future success of our industry," Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive of the trade group that sponsors the show, the Consumer Electronics Association, told the newspaper, adding, "The government is often a barrier. High taxes and regulatory bureaucracy is a barrier."
Genachowski reportedly talked with attendees about his support for "net neutrality," in which the FCC is crafting stronger rules preventing telecommunications providers from blocking access to certain Web sites on their networks or favoring their own Internet applications and content over others.
Aides from the House Energy and Commerce Committee were present at the CES in large numbers, the Washington publication The Hill reported.
