Government flocks to Vegas for tech show

Government officials are heading to the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas this week for the world's largest technology show, where they can attend events on policy issues such as network neutrality, spectrum, and distracted driving.

"We have more than 50 government officials, two Cabinet secretaries, all four FCC commissioners, and one chairman," said Jason Oxman, the senior vice president for industry affairs for the Consumer Electronics Association, which hosts the show. That list includes Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. To attract the government crowd, CEA bills the show as a chance to see the kind of technologies their constituents are using and to meet with top technology officials. The show also makes tech issues more tangible for policy makers, Oxman said.