By Tony Romm

With help from Steve Friess, Michelle Quinn, Brooks Boliek and Tal Kopan

BREAKING LAST NIGHT: HOLLYWOOD, W.H. HUDDLE ON GUNS — Brooks Boliek and Steve Friess with the readout: “Film, TV and cable sector lobbyists met with Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday night to discuss efforts to curb gun violence, but it was unclear what more Washington could do to force the entertainment industry to temper the blood and guts. The 2 ½-hour meeting included presentations from companies and trade associations about how they already self-regulate or provide parents the tools to protect children from violent or racy content — such as voluntary ratings systems for movies and TV shows.” More: http://politi.co/UPnxjZ

FOR NOW, THE MEETINGS CONTINUE – Yesterday’s session featured reps from the MPAA, NCTA, NAB and others. And at the table today are folks from the video-game community, including ESA CEO Mike Gallagher. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m.; we’re tracking.

FINAL BYTES FROM #2013CES: PANDORA PREPARES FOR BATTLE — This year is going to bring the fight of Pandora’s political life, as the company seeks to battle back the RIAA and others that don’t support the Internet radio company’s push to rethink royalty rates. And in an interview, co-founder Tim Westergren affirmed to your MT-er that his folks are going into the debate ready to play the Washington game.

--For one thing, Westergren said he anticipates the company will devote more resources in 2013 to lobbying, an area in which Pandora in the first three quarters of last year spent $160,000. (The full year’s lobbying tab won’t be available until later this month, when Q4 reports are due to the feds.) Beyond that, Westergren didn’t commit to much else specifically, noting Pandora’s political play-calling would be “determined over the course of this year.” He did say, though, the company would rally its users if it must, as it did in the last royalty go ‘round. And Westergren said he didn’t think Pandora would go the way of creating a PAC in the near future. (We’ll note, by the way, Westergren was a big donor last election: He wrote checks to President Barack Obama, Rep. John Conyers and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, among others.) More #2013CES news in just a moment.

SIREN — NYT: GOOGLE VISIT MAY BENEFIT NORTH KOREA — Andrew Jacobs, reporting from Beijing, in today’s paper: “As a work of propaganda, the images that North Korea circulated this week showing Google’s executive chairman, Eric E. Schmidt, touring a high-tech incubation center are hard to beat. … It is unclear what the famously hermetic North Koreans hoped to accomplish by allowing the visit. But the photos of the billionaire entrepreneur taking the time to visit the nation’s computer labs were bound to be useful to a new national leader whom analysts say needs to show his people that their impoverished nation is moving forward.” More, via the Times: http://nyti.ms/VT2koB

Happy Friday, time for your Morning Tech — where your old MT-er is back from the #2013CES and, with it, is going back into a.m. newsletter retirement. (It's been real, y'all, thanks for the fun homecoming.) But, you should say hello to your new Morning Tech writer, Alex Byers, whose byline you've surely seen around the world of @POLITICOPro. He'll take over MT, full time, starting on Monday.

You always know where to find me for stories and more: tromm@politico.com and @tonyromm — and you can find Alex at abyers@politico.com and @byersalex. Find contact information for the full Pro Tech team below today's Speed Read.

MORE FROM #2013CES: THE CEA-CBS-DISH SQUABBLE — CNET’s “Best of CES” awards this year became especially political after the news site’s parent, CBS, declined to consider one of Dish’s products because the two companies are at war over it in court. And basically, everyone involved in that brouhaha is pretty unhappy with the outcome.

Here’s the full story: The battle broke out late yesterday over one of Dish’s DVRs, specifically one that allows consumers to hop over TV ads. CNET initially reviewed and praised the product, and later, the site named Dish’s offering as a finalist at this year’s post-show awards — that is, until CBS nixed the idea. Consequently, Dish lambasted CBS in a statement later in the day for its “heavy handed tactics.” And CEA wasn’t pleased, either: Gary Shapiro, its leader, slammed CBS for “effective censorship over CNET’s editorial staff.” For its part, CNET offered this reaction: “The Dish Hopper with Sling was removed from consideration due to active litigation involving our parent company CBS Corp. We will no longer be reviewing products manufactured by companies with which we are in litigation with respect to such product.”

**A message from POWERJOBS: Looking for top talent in the Technology industry? Start by listing your open positions at POWERJOBS.com — the new jobs site for the influential industries that make up Washington’s workforce — including Technology. Launched by POLITICO, WTOP and ABC7, the reach of POWERJOBS is unmatched. Get 50% off online listings now through Friday, Jan. 11, using the code “WELCOME” at sales.powerjobs.com. **

ALSO: THE GENACHOWSKI PARLOR GAME – Your MT-er’s dispatch from Vegas: “Even while sources close to [FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski] say he's sticking around indefinitely at the request of the White House, the D.C. crowd is mulling over the politics of his potential departure and the confirmation battles to come. As they do, something of a short-list of tentative candidates is beginning to emerge.” The list includes potentials like Karen Kornbluh, a longtime Democratic ally with multiple tours in government. All on Pro: http://politico.pro/ZMsNKf

ICYMI, CAUSES PICKS UP VOTIZEN; COMBINES ONLINE ACTIVISM WITH POLITICS — With news that the online-activism site Causes bought Votizen, the political advocacy firm, political leaders may start hearing about campaigns on Causes in more pointed ways. Here’s the one-two punch: Causes offers a platform to help folks organize around an issue. And Votizen’s technology ties people’s online identities with their real-world data — information like where a person lives, whether they’re registered to vote and who their political representatives are.

For an example, Votizen’s Jason Putorti pointed to activists using the Causes platform to build support for addressing gun violence, a development following the tragedy at Sandy Hook (http://bit.ly/RFZvud). “We can help figure out who their representatives are,” he said in an interview. “This gives their message a level of authenticity. We can go to political leaders and say, ‘These are people in this district who are registered to vote who think this way.’ The combination is extremely powerful.” (P.S.: Sean Parker, one of Facebook’s early investors, is an investor in both firms and negotiated the deal, according to TechCrunch: http://tcrn.ch/VVcHrs. He also backs the site NationBuilder, which provides online tools for political campaigns.)

WANTED: COPPA CLARITY — That was the takeaway, at least, from a FOSI forum that “threw questions about the highly anticipated privacy regulation at representatives from Facebook, the FTC, the App Developers Alliance and the Electronic Safety Ratings Board. The problem, panelists and audience members said, is that app makers and site operators still need more clarity — even with the 167-page statement the FTC wrote on the updated regulations.” More, from Alex Byers, on Pro: http://politico.pro/XoEjqG

FTC RAISES GLASSES TO CHANGING OF THE GUARD – With newly confirmed FTC Commissioner Joshua Wright soon to be sworn in, it’s an end to the seven-year tenure of J. Thomas Rosch.

Rosch, who departed with some terse remarks about how his colleagues handled their last big case together — Google, of course — nonetheless enjoyed the convivial company of his four soon-to-be-former colleagues alongside about 100 others at a soiree at the Metropolitan Club earlier this week. Given the recent drama, MT wondered if there speakers or toasts: "No, because it was not an occasion for speeches, it was an occasion for drinking," Rosch said. "Which we did — or I did at least — in abundance." In case you're wondering, his spirit of choice — somewhat predictably, given that he's a longtime Californian — is red wine.

IS EU ABOUT TO DROP THE HAMMER ON GOOGLE? -- Michelle Quinn had the story: "Google may have gotten a slap on the wrist in the conclusion of the FTC’s probe into its search business. But Europe is looking like a tougher sell. Joaquin Almunia, Europe’s competition chief, said that the search company will face antitrust charges if it doesn’t change its current practice of 'diverting traffic' to its own services, according to the Financial Times." More: http://politico.pro/VT38d8

MEANWHILE, EUROPE ANTITRUST EXPERTS DIVIDED ON FTC-GOOGLE DEAL — The outcome of the FTC's Google probe has been as divisive in Europe as it is here. Some expect Almunia to come down much harder, if only because he gets ultimate say, whereas the FTC needs a majority vote and then must prosecute in court in the absence of a settlement. "The EU's legal standards are much more agency-friendly, and the level of subsequent judicial review is close to cosmetic," said Nicolas Petit, professor in the Institute of Competition Law at the University of Liège in Belgium. "The case will be settled, but the settlement will be more pricey for Google."

--Not necessarily, argued Miguel Rato, a Brussels-based antitrust attorney for Qualcomm and Samsung, who predicts a similar deal to the FTC outcome. "The FTC managed to obtain some concessions when it was highly uncertain that they would have an antitrust case. They concluded there was limited evidence of any wrongdoing in search." Rato called the theory behind the claim Google had violated antitrust laws "convoluted, complex and somewhat contrived."

LOBBYING BYTES: MICROSOFT BULKS UP ON IMMIGRATION — To push its so-called “National Talent Strategy,” Microsoft’s plan for immigration reform, the tech company is snapping up some new outside lobbying help. Bose Public Affairs Group is Microsoft’s newest hire, according to a newly posted federal doc.

E-BOOK PRICES CONTINUE FALL — In the months following the settlement between major publishers and the DOJ in its e-books antitrust case, e-book prices have plummeted. According to Jeremy Greenfield, the average price of a top-25 e-book this week was $8.23, down from $11.37 in October. Greenfield reports that some booksellers have discounted e-books to below $5. More, including a chart of the price drop: http://bit.ly/VSMuK0. And ICYMI, our story from last month about how the price-fixing case affects e-book pricing, and the likelihood of a settlement from holdout Apple: http://politi.co/TmYZ4N

ITI SETS OUT PRIORITIES FOR 2013 – Hardly a shock, the top items are skilled immigration reform and corporate tax reform. The agenda: http://politico.pro/WHZd1h.  Also on this list is “forced localization,” whereby countries like China, India and Brazil require that government agencies and some companies purchase technology from local firms. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about a draft regulations in India. http://on.wsj.com/Vf6xFV

SPEED READ, by Michelle Quinn:

ZYNGA IS INTERESTED IN CASINO GAMING: Zynga has 89 patents, up from one a year ago, with many emphasizing gambling, AllThingsD reports. http://dthin.gs/UZAJ6J

HOLIDAY PC SHIPMENTS DOWN FIRST TIME SINCE 2001: Consumers are turning toward tablets and smartphones, and PC shipments are down 6.4 percent in the holiday quarter, per Bloomberg. http://bloom.bg/UZVPCe

BEST BUY SALES RISE: With Amazon collecting sales tax in more states, Best Buy reported that sales have risen, Reuters says. http://reut.rs/UOajUH

PATENT PRIVATEERS GO AGAINST BIG FIRMS: Companies are selling patents and retaining rights making it hard to figure out who owns the patent, according to Bloomberg. http://bloom.bg/VORPoK

[Tips, comments, suggestions? Send them along via email to our team: Jess Kamen (jkamen@politico.com, @jesskamen), Tony Romm (tromm@politico.com, @tonyromm), Eliza Krigman (ekrigman@politico.com, @ekspectacular), Elizabeth Wasserman (ewasserman@politico.com, @elizwasserman), Eric Nelson (enelson@politico.com),Brooks Boliek (bboliek@politico.com, @technocowboy), Michelle Quinn (mquinn@politico.com, @MichelleQuinn), Steve Friess (sfriess@politico.com, @stevefriess) and Alex Byers (abyers@politico.com, @byersalex).]

** A message from POWERJOBS: Attention employers looking for top talent in Technology. POWERJOBS.com is NOW LIVE and featuring top jobs from top companies. Make sure your positions are front and center. Use the code “WELCOME” at sales.powerjobs.com for 50% off online job postings now through Friday, Jan. 11. Also, learn about custom solutions and print opportunities by emailing sales@powerjobs.com. Launched by POLITICO, WTOP and ABC7, POWERJOBS is designed for the influential industries that make up the Washington workforce — including Technology. Find top talent at POWERJOBS.com. **