companies perforce provided. that is absurd. as all of you know, that will be the end. then the government can force us to do all kinds of things we don't want to do. mark levin will take your calls and questions in depth 5'3" our starting at 3:00 eastern. read the book and join the conversation. created by america's cable companies in 1979. brought to as a public service by your television provider.

on theing us communicators is gary shapiro, president and ceo of the consumer electronic association. who do you represent in that association? >> 2000 u.s. technology companies paid everybody who is involved innovation. >> water issues were concerned about? >> issues you would expect. innovation. innovation is a national strategy. keepcan companies could introducing the coolest products in the world. we dominate in many areas. it is a global phenomenon of innovation. the u.s. is the world leader. we want to keep it that way. the best and the brightest. a patent policy. it requires free trade.

>> we will talk about those issues. i want to talk about the issue the fcc is hatching a. the unlocking of cell phones. >> we don't have a position. we are free market. we like consumer choice. we think that products with -- that consumers buy, they should establish a contraption will -- contractual relations. the government has decided that if you buy a phone in the contract runs out you should be able to have it unlocked. we have no problem with that. >> how important is the fcc to your members? >> the fcc says a communication strategy for the nation. if you think about all the growth in our economy, it has come with products that hook up through telecommunications and the internet. we believe the strategy our nation should have is focused on broadband, and choice in broadband. it used to be this broadcast and

satellite. now there is the internet. we want to make sure people have choices of getting those different technologies different ways. fast speeds and lots of choice. nowre reaching a point where we have run out of spectrum to have that broadband. congress and the president passed legislation mandating a spectrum auction. we want to see that happen. >> what do you think the -- think of the new chair? >> i celebrities bring gravitas and experience. onerved on a committee chair major world issues. he allowed that state department to gather together as volunteers and help when there's a crisis around the world. i like the fact that he is not looking for his next job.

every other chairman has been look -- has been relatively young. that is a good thing. conversation, frombyers for political -- politico. with immigration. that is one of the core issues for you this year. things have been pretty stalled in the house for a while. the comprehensive bill passed the senate several months go. is it time for the tech industry to support more of a piecemeal approach? especially because one of the bills that may have legs in the very, would look at raising the number of h-1b these is -- these is. >> as you know, the tech

industry and the democrats and republicans are united about this concept. we should the best and brightest people. we should hire the phd's and master's. we have a decision that is important to our decision. we are sending jobs and revenue overseas. how did we get there? democrats have taken the position led by the president this must be part of the comprehensive package. jobs said years ago, you're killing the future is a technology industry with this strategy. we love to see a stand-alone bill. we have to go with what the president wants. he is the president. 's is the speaker of the house line things up... i do not have legislation on the floor. until he makes the decision to go forward, we are marking time.

we are disappointed that something didn't happen now. problemuld not have a visa focus on high immigration move through the house. but just from your perspective that would be an approach to focus on that. with any wayhappy of getting legislation through. it is a shame we are holding her innovation strategy hostage for other purposes, which are very important. we have huge immigration issues. it is the job of congress to address. we would like to see a vote on all of the legislation. skills we the one thing everyone will agree upon. ,> do you have every confidence 2014 is an election year.

as "are to november of next year, there is going to be less legislating going on as members are out campaigning. >> i have confidence that if speaker boehner bring something to the floor for a vote, it will pass. that is a good thing. we can have progress on this. advertising visa problems, come does. our best companies in the united states between our tax laws and visa policies, they are being forced to invest overseas. that is a shame. >> it is not just immigration issue that hasn't moved swiftly. there hasn't been a ton of things done in congress. you is even more true when

look at the telecommunications sector in general. how do you approach washington with knowing there hasn't been a lot of successful legislation on issues you care about most. what is the strategy to get something done, whether it is at an agency or an executive branch? >> i think we have been fairly successful. that happened quickly. we have marketplace fairness to the senate. that is really important legislation that makes it so the brick-and-mortar retailers are the same as on the internet. that is important. there is support for free trade in congress. that is important. everyone, weike want things not to happen. i think it is a matter of

sometimes the senate and the asse have as much problem's the republicans. our job is to get them to see this is a national interest year. we have been a supporter of the no labels movement. they're willing to recognize their job is to solve international problems. business people are pragmatist. affiliated with either party. i'm happy to be in the middle of that. , i wenta book last year around talking about it. other countries have figured out what we're doing. they're focusing on free trade. we have great education. we have to keep our first-place status as innovators by having trade,c education, free access to the best and brightest, and reasonable patent

system. passed thee innovation act. there is some appetite in the , aate for pursuing a bill similar bill. how important was that your members? there's been a lot of back-and- forth about whether this bill would sort of stop the trolls, or it would weaken the judicial system in terms of how patents are concerned. >> it did it tremendous job. he move something quickly. he held the hearings. .e did it in a bipartisan way it is important from the smallest one person to the largest companies.

what we're finding is that the cfo, the top engineering staff is taking up defending patents litigation. every company is getting letters all the time. they are extension letters. it is legalized extortion. it is not good for the competitiveness of the united states. they say we have to do something. this has gotten out of control. we have accounting machine. there is a function on the machine that we bought. this is the most passionate issue i represent my members on. >> you mentioned the demand letter, a particularly interesting one, given there were a lot of those that want to see stronger reforms on demand .etters

we will see where the senate goes on that aspect. one of the concerns that people have with that particular part of the patent reform debate is the first amendment concern. whatat extent can you say a person or company is allowed to say in any letter, whether it be a demand letter, malicious or not. do you have similar concerns the government should go too far in saying here what you can and can't say in legal document? >> we have so many laws that regulate how we solicit people or call people up. how we send letters. what we even say to each other. the first amendment is the bulk work. it just protects the government interfering with the press and free speech. it has something to do with writing an extension letter. i have no problem with that.

i do not think it is a first amendment issue. affectingts are demand letters. you have to respond in the process. i think that will come down significantly in the number of demand letters. those receiving them will get a quick answer from the lawyer on how they should settle something. >> when you look at the framework of telecommunications laws in this country, do they need to be updated for our current world? doesn't6 telecom act even mention the internet. certainly it is healthy for government understand why there is regulation going on. we should look at that. the world is dramatically changed. phenomenally changed on how we get information.

there is an argument that there is too much regulation. i believe, and i would point to the merger of at&t and t-mobile, one fcc chairman could cause at&t to spend almost $4 billion despite having the best legal advice and the world because he squashed the merger, and there is ambiguous laws out there, we should not have ambiguous laws of any type. we should have legal certainty. this goes beyond the fcc. he goes into how we live our lives as americans. you have a right to know what law you're violating. we have seen with the boeing situation, we've seen it with lawon for violating india's . we have seen it over and over again. now we seem regulation which is

collapsing our business community. they can't figure out how many laws there are. the., it is -- the dodd frank law, it is out of control. we should do it with the principal that we want to be competitive. we want to the best system, the most competitive in the country, and we want to do it without sending thousands of things where you are throwing sunday the way government agency so businesses do not know what is legal and what is not. outdated?96 law should it go away? should it be replaced? >> we have to ask ourselves a fundamental question. getis it that broadcasters slab?pectrum in a huge

thats it they have a law says the cable company must carry their signal. they can require them to pay them if they don't want it. we have a world where broadcasters competing with satellite. and increasingly, citizens are choosing to get information not from broadcast, but from other sources. why do we have laws which favor one medium over another? the principle should be competition. they should be on different media, non-favorite media that has lived off lobbying. privacy. the issues is the nsa taking data. a lot of your member companies are involved in this issue. you said about privacy?

>> it relies upon trust with consumers. we are americans, and it hope -- and it hurts us to know the government is doing things we didn't expect that they were. what is the government doing, and requiring businesses to do? , in our business is doing terms of a consumer rights have. we have to establish some principles. if the government is requiring businesses to do something, there has to be disclosure there. hearing wheree a the other side has to be heard. it should be minimally intrusive to accomplish the national safety we all want. in terms of what businesses are doing, businesses have an obligation of transparency, disclosure, printing things of people can understand and.

moreld like us to see organization. if there was more standardization there, i think that is a good thing. what we do with disclosure of mileage, the government has a role. i think it is an important role. i'm not saying don't regulate. the government can encourage standardization of how we communicate. the government has the say in unlocking things. rules company changes the , this could go2net neutrality -- this could go2net neutrality. neutrality. i think we have some solutions. you were talking, the role in

regulating or not regulating. been ishe questions is this a space where there should be some kind of law that says -- or allow websites to allow users to opt out of cross browser tracking. a lot of people say that is too heavy-handed when you look at a sector like technology where by the time the law is drafted, whenever was written will be obsolete. the obama administration has law,ed a multi-stakeholder where we hash things out. whatever agreements come out of that are de facto law, guidelines. where do you see, what is the

best approach for handling consumer privacy? is there a role for the government to weigh in and get clarity? here is what your elected do, here is what you are not. >> what keeps me awake is that our lack of action will do something which will choke off innovation. .nnovation is our destiny we have the most innovative people in the world to. i think whether it is because the government is protecting the status quo business lobbying but they do with broadcasters, or --ause there is well-meaning we are concerned about our privacy. that is well-meaning and well- intentioned. off newre choking developments, a multi-take older approach where you are listening to people and a grain on what you want to accomplish, you want to accomplish something where

people as consumers feel comfortable in our privacy. we have choices, and they are clear. if we could reach that goal, rather than have something forced by any site on somebody else. the internet is free. what is often being sold is the fact that you as a consumer are being exposed to something through ads so people will know about you and market to you. >> to talk innovation. kicking off his international ces. >> the world's largest innovation of them. people converging for a week in las vegas. you are seeing the future. you're saying innovation come to .arket people basically invest their

life savings of -- in this one shot. we have 35,000 people come together, a big push of washington coming there. many others from other countries as well in government. they are all there for one purpose. that is renovation is going to be. people, and told would be inspired. but we have his solutions to the problems we are talking about. including driverless cars. ,e have stuff for disabled allowing them to experience it. a focus on robots, on 3-d printing. there are new ways of technology . we have drones being shown.

something want shipped to your house? do you want to print it yourself in 3-d? have a driverless car? several leading telecommunications corporate leaders speaking. >> absolutely. the leader of almost every company involved in the world of innovation. the head of verizon and at&t, the head of twitter. you name it, they are there. the new head president of intel. the head of yahoo!. .o many different people they all have the creative, bright people. >> is it open to the public?

it is open to only to those who have a business connection to consumer electronics or reporters to cover those who are there. we have to keep the crowds low. they can only handle so many people. we keep around 150,000 people. >> there was a lot of talk about patent reform. i imagine it will be talk about it this year. there is still work to do in terms of legislation. on the patent issue, remember when that bill is being voted on in the house. you were going to score this bill as part of your technology legislation scorecard. >> basically we have an action committee. we're making decisions about whether to give money to members of congress. we're looking for members scoring in the line of

innovation. us to supportt senator -- those who are philosophically significant. meeting before, not a quid pro quo. no member of congress gets a perfect score by us. we do score them that way. are they speaking about immigration question mark to the carrot -- immigration? do they care about it as an issue. d have the sense that particularly tied into something like a technology legislation scorecard? i better be on the right side of the patent bill rieke be in trouble if i'm in the wrong side of the budget?

>> what legislators share in common is they care about the united states as a nation. they are trying to do what is best. only one constituent talks to them, they may not have heard. this is not just a patent troll not producing anything. this is 2000 technology companies that care about this legislation. that is why we do things like that. that is what we do a lot of things we do. we will members of congress understand that when the technology industry space as one voice, this is important for the future of our country. our job growth relies upon innovation. that is what this country is built on. they need to hear that. >> how much discussion will be about spectrum? we will have every fcc

commissioner there. it is an important issue. we talk a lot about issues, there is action on it that year. a press conference last year -- , hearing thengress english of entrepreneurs being killed by these trolls, they were willing to step up and act. somethinge to do about them. congress did do something about it. matter of execution. beernment spectrum should put out there. there are ways of doing it. it doesn't get a lot of attention. it was bipartisan. this is like a lot of things. many different ways and

solutions. have to keep chipping away. spectrum issues are going to be around for a lot of time. >> when tom wheeler comes up and you get 10 minutes with him, what is your message to him? neutrall just be the questioner. i will take issues. i will talk about spectrum and ask about that, how he feels about the telecom act reform. what he wants his legacy to be. he is a very articulate guy. sometimes it is a challenge. they are careful about what they say because they are not that confident. what i like about tom wheeler is that he is at a point where he knows the issues. to thinkd a long time about these issues. i look forward to a discussion with him. >> what technology are you excited about this year?

>> there are so many. 3-d printing is going to change the world. it will allow local manufacturing. it is becoming a consumer product. inspire,s you can do, it is very exciting. there are 100,000 things you can download for free. then you can download your own things and build them. it is exciting. it allows the spirit of entrepreneurship. of course, altra four k is beautiful. a 4k is beautiful. they're going to solve real problems. things are changing in our educational system. customize learning and things like that. thehealth care law and

controversy, the solution is an innovation. we have a huge growing area on wireless health. it is what they eat. it is how much they sleep. that information can get to decisions. you is a technology itico."with "pol thank you. >> c-span created and brought to you as a public service by your television provider. 15 years ago we started looking at the census data.