Washington policy leaders set to mingle at CES in Las Vegas

Tech geeks, meet the feds. That will be one of the notable themes at the International Consumer Electronics Show that begins Thursday in Las Vegas, where the Obama administration's top technology advisers, regulators and lawmakers plan to mingle with Silicon Valley's gadget heads for the year's biggest show-and-tell for technology. The participation of tech policy leaders such as national Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, highlights Washington's growing interest in tech policy. Stimulus funds for broadband, proposals for governing Internet access, calls for more wireless spectrum, and investigations into the business practices of some of the industry's biggest players have gotten the attention of Silicon Valley, analysts said. "Policy issues are front and center this year at CES," said Jason Oxman, senior vice president of the Consumer Electronics Association. "Broadband capabilities are in more devices than ever before. It will be hard to find a TV without broadband connectivity at the show, and everything wireless connects to the Internet, so broadband and spectrum policy issues are very important to the [consumer electronics] industry."