FCC's Wheeler Won't Be Speaking at CES

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FCC chairman Tom Wheeler will not make it to the Consumer Technology Association's CES show SuperSession Jan. 5 in Las Vegas, a CTA source confirmed.

He had been scheduled to join Federal Trade Commission chair Edith Ramirez at the session, per a release sent out Dec. 16. But the source said Wheeler's attendance had always been tentative.

The source cited a "scheduling conflict" for Wheeler's absence. A Wheeler spokesperson was not available for comment at press time.

Wheeler has been a regular at CES, usually in conversation with CTA president Gary Shapiro. Now that conversation will be confined to Ramirez, at least at press time.

CES is said to be trying to line up another FCC commissioner from the three who are attending: Democrat Mignon Clyburn and Republicans Michael O'Rielly and Ajit Pai. Pai, the senior Republican, is likely to be the interim chairman after Wheeler leaves Jan. 20, though O'Rielly has been in the conversation as well.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.