Add Consumer Technology Association President Gary Shapiro to the list of those strongly endorsing Gigi Sohn for the fifth seat on the FCC. In a blog post as CTA kicked off CES 2022 yesterday, Shapiro called Sohn ”a pragmatic problem solver who understands what it takes to make innovation thrive.“

Consumer Technology Association President Gary Shapiro said exhibitors keep signing up for CES 2022, which launches today (Jan. 5), and that he will feel safer there than he does at his local grocery store. That is according to a transcript from Fox Business News of Shapiro’s appearance Tuesday on the network to talk about CES.

The CES 2022 schedule is a bit lighter, with much of the action being moved to online video streams and brands’ websites rather than in-person in Las Vegas, and some of the discussions have been removed entirely after many prominent attendees pulled out of the show at the last minute.

After a whirlwind end to 2021, with a number of significant market launches announced in December alone, the Advanced Television Systems Committee will review progress of the NextGen TV deployments as well as a look ahead. With the recent addition of NextGen TV service in Los Angeles and Washington, ATSC 3.0 broadcasting now reaches nearly half of all American viewers, the ATSC announced this week.

AT&T and Verizon Communications said late Monday (Jan. 3) that the companies will delay their planned Jan. 5 rollout of 5G wireless service in the C-band, at least briefly, at the request of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (above). The secretary had asked for a two-week delay to try and resolve issues of possible interference with radio altimeters that use the adjacent ban.

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with technology consultant Shelly Palmer about this week’s Omicron-battered CES, the salvageable elements of the in-person show and his dim view of NextGen TV’s hope for momentum there, plus the implications for future large trade shows.

CES 2022 just became one day shorter. The Consumer Technology Association announced Friday that CES will now close on Jan. 7 as a safety measure amid concerns about spiking COVID-19 infection rates. While the CTA is touting that 2,200 exhibitors are still confirmed to attend in person, major exhibitors like Microsoft, Google, AMD and Intel have either canceled or modified their in-person CES plans.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a decision handed down Dec. 28), said that the FCC conclusion on the risk of harmful interference was just the sort of technical call that the court owes “significant deference.”

Procter & Gamble on Tuesday became the latest Fortune 500 company to cancel live appearances at the CES tech show next year in Las Vegas amid concerns about the coronavirus’ omicron variant. Instead of a physical presence at the highly anticipated annual electronics events, the Cincinnati-based consumer goods giant now plans to host a virtual event at its pglifelab.com website.

Evoca TV, which is using the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard to broadcast its all-IP OTT pay TV service in smaller markets using low-power TV’s, is looking to power up through the FCC’s upcoming auction of new TV station construction permits.

“After careful consideration we have decided to withhold from having a presence on the show floor of CES 2022,” a company spokesperson said at the end of last week.

Microsoft became the latest company Friday to drop out of physically participating in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) amid a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant.