Net Neutrality Repeal Lingers Over CES Despite Pai's Absence

Walking through the display floor aisles at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the surrounding hotels and casinos, it's easy to get swept up in the sheer number of companies that have made the pilgrimage to Sin City to provide attendees of the Consumer Electronics Show a glimpse into the future. It's also easy to forget – for better or worse – all of the discussions going on hundreds of miles away in the nation's capital, particularly as it relates to network neutrality, that could impact the way many of the more than 4,000 companies at CES 2018 do business in the U.S. The convention has made an effort to loop government officials into the tech conversation – the Consumer Technology Association, which helps organize the annual tech conference, estimates more than 170 elected or appointed officials will be on hand throughout the week.  Notable, though, were some of the absentees. Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai was a no-show at the event, though he was initially scheduled to speak on a panel with Federal Trade Commission Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen. Reports of death threats in the aftermath of his decision to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality standards are believed to have factored into his decision to withdraw from the conference. FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny was also missing from her scheduled panel appearance with several FCC commissioners. What those absences left was Ohlhausen and a trio of FCC officials to attempt to explain how the country will move forward without the net neutrality guardrails in pace.