Feds appeal to crowds at CES

The federal government, with its new emphasis on using technology, its billions of dollars to spend in the high-tech arena and its regulatory clout, drew a good deal of attention last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"What happens in Washington very much affects the future success of our industry," Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, told the Washington Post.

As a result, key players in the industry were hanging on every word from Aneesh Chopra, the government's chief technology officer who attended the event. Chopra is responsible for the White House's technology policies that include use of cloud computing and social networking applications, as well as advancing the president's plan to expand broadband Internet nationwide.

Also drawing attention from industry representatives was Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. Issues like net neutrality and communications policies will have a profound effect on tech firms, and they know it.

Shapiro, speaking at a news conference attended by Chopra, was somewhat pointed in his criticisms. He said industry members do not believe the federal government is working to address trade policies that hurt their companies, and made the usual industry pitch on immigration to allow more highly skilled workers from nations such as China and India to come to work in the U.S. and become permanent residents.

Shaprio said that the "government doesn't spur innovation or entrepreneurship," and often "gets in the way." He added that because of high taxes and its bureaucratic nature, the government "is often a barrier."

Chopra, for his part, conceded that "we have room for improvement to spur innovation and entrepreneurship." He said the Obama administration is planning a summit with a number of chief executives from the "most innovative companies in the country to directly advise us to make government more efficient and more effective," according to nextgov.com.

During his Las Vegas foray, Chopra expressed interest in exploring new technologies and how they may be put to use in serving the public. He spoke about making government more open to innovation, and emphasized the importance of standards in health information technology.

Chopra, for example, asked how streaming video on mobile devices might be used for telemedicine or educational purposes, and how tablet computers could be used by physicians to more accurately collect data on patients and streamline hospital administration. The answer is still out, but his direction has been clearly articulated.

For more on Chopra and the CES show:
- see this Washington Post article
- also see this blog

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