The National Association of Broadcasters announced that top government officials will address public policy issues related to media, entertainment and technology at NAB Show, to be held April 6-11, 2013, in Las Vegas. U.S. Representative Greg Walden, chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, will discuss his career in broadcasting and legislative issues affecting the industry as one of the speakers at the NAB Show opening session on Monday, April 8.
Walden has represented Oregon's Second Congressional District since 1998. He also spent more than two decades as a radio station owner and is a licensed amateur radio operator (W7EQI). He uses his small business and technology experience as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. In November 2012, Walden's House Republican colleagues unanimously elected him to serve as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
"NAB Show is a great opportunity to hear directly from government officials, regulators and policymakers, and to get up to speed on important public policy issues facing the industry today," said Dennis Wharton, NAB executive vice president of Communications. "You cannot underestimate the implications of legislative and regulatory initiatives in Washington."
Session topics include FCC implementation of television spectrum incentive auctions, retransmission consent, media ownership rules and content streaming regulations.
Sessions featuring government officials and/or focusing on telecommunications policy include (click on session titles for additional information):
- Is '13' A Broadcaster's Lucky Number? The Government's Perspective, Monday, April 8, 10:30 a.m. This panel will feature John Branscome, Senate Commerce Committee Communications Counsel, and Neil Fried, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chief Counsel, among others.
- Incentive Auctions of TV Spectrum – How and When They Will Impact Your Business, Monday, April 8, 2:30 p.m.
- AM Band Revitalization Featuring FCC Commissioner Ajit V. Pai, Monday, April 8, 3:00 p.m.
- The Radio Regulatory Revue, Tuesday, April 9, 10:30 a.m.
- Straight Talk from the Top – America's Communication Regulators, Tuesday, April 9, 2:30 p.m.
- Q&A with the Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Wednesday, April 10, 9:00 a.m.
- EAS, Superstorm Sandy, and Accessible Emergency Warnings – A Discussion of Broadcasters' Role as "First Informers," Wednesday, April 10, 10:30 a.m.
- Keep Calm & Carry On: Viewability, Retransmission Consent & Other Signal Carriage Issues, Wednesday, April 10, 10:30 a.m.
