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FCC chairman Ajit Pai suspiciously cancels his CES 2018 visit

We wonder why.

Monica Chin

on January 3, 2018

FCC chairman Ajit Pai suspiciously cancels his CES 2018 visit

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Carolyn Kaster/AP/REX/Shutterstock (9292662b) Diane Tepfer holds a sign with an image of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai as the "Grinch who Stole the Internet" as she protests near the FCC, in Washington, where the FCC is scheduled to meet and vote on net neutrality. The vote scheduled today at the FCC, could usher in big changes in how Americans use the internet, a radical departure from more than a decade of federal oversight Net Neutrality, Washington, USA - 14 Dec 2017 Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP/REX/Shutterstock

CES, the tech industry's largest annual trade show, begins next week (Jan. 9-12), but the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will not be attending.

Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES, announced today that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has canceled his appearance one week before the show.

"Unfortunately, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is unable to attend CES 2018," Shapiro's statement reads.

"We look forward to our next opportunity to host a technology policy discussion with him before a public audience."

The move is out of character for an FCC chairman -- Pai has attended the past six consecutive CES conferences and former FCC chairman Tom Wheler was a regular attendee.

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This year, Pai was slated to appear on a panel with CTA CEO Gary Shapiro to discuss connectivity and broadband access.

CTA has provided no further indication of the reasoning behind Pai's decision. But just a month after the FCC's repeal of net neutrality, of which Pai was champion, the conference probably wouldn't have welcomed him with open arms.

An online petition demanding his resignation collected over 10,000 signatures in December, and an op-ed he published in November arguing for repealing net neutrality prompted massive collective outrage across the internet.

Some Twitter users are postulating what -- let's be honest -- we're all thinking.

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Others were excited for Pai to have to defend his decision before the tech world, and are probably disappointed now. One such user called for the chairman to "show up and face real innovators," while another posited that he had "'splaining' to do."

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However, if you were hoping to express your strong opinions about net neutrality at CES this year, don't lose hope. Pai's fellow FCC commissioners Brendan Carr, Mignon Clyburn, Michael O'Reilly and Jessica Rosenworcel are also scheduled to attend the conference, and will be hosting a roundtable discussion. CTA has not indicated that any of these commissioners will be cancelling their appearances.

Topics CES Net Neutrality Politics

Monica Chin

Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.