IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1144 

Honoring the 100th anniversary of the Consumer Technology Association. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 15, 2024 

Mr. ISSA submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the 100th anniversary of the Consumer Technology 

Association. 

Whereas 1924 represented a pivotal moment in the history of 

technology, marked by significant developments and the 

legacy of prominent figures; 

Whereas, in 1924, Thomas Edison, the inventor and entrepreneur whose inventions, including the phonograph and 

the electric light bulb, continued to thrive on the frontier 

of innovation; 

Whereas 1924 signified the continued influence of Nikola 

Tesla, whose contributions to alternating current power 

systems laid the groundwork for much of today’s electrical infrastructure; 


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Whereas 1924 also witnessed Guglielmo Marconi, the pioneer 

of wireless telegraphy, or radio, whose innovations paved 

the way for modern telecommunications; 

Whereas 1924 marked a transition to new advancements and 

discoveries in the realm of science, engineering, and technology; 

Whereas, in that same year, the organization now known as 

the Consumer Technology Association was founded as the 

Associated Radio Manufacturers at the Hotel Sherman in 

Chicago, Illinois, on April 16, 1924, and the name was 

changed several weeks later to the Radio Manufacturers 

Association (RMA); 

Whereas the RMA was formed in response to patent fights, 

a lack of cohesive technical standards, and looming legislation affecting radio; 

Whereas, in July 1925, in response to an increasing need for 

technical standards in the radio industry, RMA adopted 

a formal resolution to develop its own industry standards, 

and early targets for standards included color-coded wiring, dimensions for plugs, jacks, and sockets, and markings for transformers; 

Whereas, in 1927, RMA formed an industrywide Radio Coordinating Committee, which directed and advocated to 

shape the Radio Act of 1927, which established the Federal Radio Commission, which later became the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC), and Congress 

adopted 90 percent of the recommendations of RMA and 

the Radio Coordinating Committee; 

Whereas, in 1933, struggling with the Great Depression, 

RMA reorganized, closing its New York and Chicago ofVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Apr 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1144.IH HR1144

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fices and moving to a combined office in Washington, 

DC; 

Whereas RMA became heavily invested in experimentation 

with and regulation of television, developing the first proposed standards for television, which the FCC quickly 

put into place, and its work led to the beginning of commercial television broadcasting in the United States on 

July 1, 1941; 

Whereas, when the United States entered World War II, 

RMA members undertook a massive effort to convert 

manufacturing to a war footing, and with limited exceptions, nearly all civilian radio production was earmarked 

for the war effort; 

Whereas the organization in 1950, reflecting the evolving 

times, changed its name to the Radio-Television Manufacturers Association (RTMA), and Glen McDaniel became the first paid president in 1951; 

Whereas, in 1953, again recognizing the changing face of 

American technology, RTMA became the Radio-Electronics-Television Manufacturers Association (RETMA), 

and in 1957, members changed the name to the Electronic Industries Association (EIA), signaling an expansion beyond radio and television and instead ‘‘embracing 

all industry segments’’ of electronics; 

Whereas, in 1967, EIA hosted the first Consumer Electronics 

Show (CES), which was organized by Staff Vice President Jack Wayman and was held in New York City from 

June 25 to 28, 1967, and occupied more than 100,000 

square feet and included more than 100 exhibitors; 

Whereas, in 1984, EIA and Chairman of the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) Gary Shapiro advocated on 


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behalf of VCR manufacturers and fought to uphold the 

legality of home videotaping, and the Supreme Court’s 

ruling in favor of Sony and other VCR manufacturers 

paved the way for home recording, which is considered 

the Magna Carta for the consumer technology industry; 

Whereas, in 1984, the FCC approved multichannel TV sound 

(MTS) which provided the extra dimension of stereo for 

more powerful audio, and in 1986, the Consumer Electronics Group (CEG, a division of EIA) was honored with 

an Emmy for its industry-shaping role in advancing 

stereo television; 

Whereas, in 1990, legislation was signed into law requiring 

closed captioning decoders in all larger color TVs, and 

over the next 3 years, the FCC adopted the EIA’s closed 

captioning standard (later called CTA–608); 

Whereas, beginning in the 1990s, CTA started hosting miniCES events on Capitol Hill where CTA members displayed new technology products for lawmakers and congressional staff, and beginning in 2010, this became 

known as CES on the Hill, and it continues to this day; 

Whereas the organization was instrumental in the transition 

to digital television technology, cofounding the Advanced 

Television Systems Committee in 1982, helping create 

the Advanced Television Test Center in 1987 and the 

HDTV Model Station, which operated as a living test bed 

for making HDTV broadcasting work from 1996 to 1999 

and as the DTV Station Project until 2001; 

Whereas, in 1995, EIA’s Consumer Electronics Group became Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association 

(CEMA), and Gary Shapiro, who started working at the 

association in 1982, became president of CEMA; 


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Whereas, in 1998, the Electronic Industries Association was 

renamed Electronic Industries Alliance, and in 1999, 

CEMA’s name was changed to Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and becomes its own separate legal entity, better reflecting the diversity of member companies; 

Whereas, in 2000, the CE Hall of Fame was created to honor 

the achievements of the leaders and pioneers in the consumer electronics industry, and the Industry Forum 

awards dinner was established to recognize the hall’s inductees; 

Whereas, since 2000, CTA has been recognized with scores 

of awards for CES, a healthy work environment and as 

a great place to work; 

Whereas, in 2005, the Digital Patriots Dinner was set up to 

recognize leaders in the public sector who work to advance technological growth, and at the inaugural award 

ceremony, Intel CEO Dr. Craig Barret received the Industry Digital Patriot Award; 

Whereas, in 2012, the CTA Foundation was founded with the 

mission to support seniors and people with disabilities by 

connecting them with life-enhancing technology; 

Whereas, in 2012, CEA and other stakeholders joined a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory committee 

to provide recommendations that would allow passengers 

to use handheld devices in ‘‘airplane mode’’ during taxiing, takeoff, and landing; 

Whereas the organization entered 2015 with a new name, the 

Consumer Technology Association, reflecting the reality 

that every company is a tech company; 

Whereas, in 2019, CTA established the Diversity Investment 

Fund, which is investing up to $10,000,000 into venture 


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firms and funds focused on funding underrepresented 

founders, women-led startups, and diverse leadership 

teams; 

Whereas, in 2022, CTA partnered with the World Academy 

of Art and Science (WAAS) to showcase the critical role 

of technology in support of the United Nations (UN) efforts to advance human security for all, and at a September 2023 event at UN headquarters in New York, 

CTA announced that technology would become the eighth 

pillar of the UN’s Human Security For All (HS4A) global campaign; 

Whereas, following a decade of legislative advocacy and 

standards development by CTA, the bipartisan Over-theCounter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, directing the Food 

and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow direct-to-consumer and retail-based hearing aid sales, passed Congress in 2017, and in 2022, the FDA final rule authorized over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, benefitting 

tens of millions of Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss to purchase OTC hearing aids without a medical 

exam or prescription, online, and in stores; 

Whereas, in July 2023, CTA joined the White House to support the launch of the United States Cyber Trust Mark 

program, a label to protect consumers from cyberattacks, 

and in October of that same year, CTA was recognized 

by the World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) for work around the program to give consumers more information about the cybersecurity of the 

connected products they buy; 

Whereas, in September 2023, CTA released a policy framework that supports a measured and balanced approach to 

the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and in NoVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Apr 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1144.IH HR1144

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vember, CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro participated in a Senate forum on AI; 

Whereas, in February 2024, CTA named Kinsey Fabrizio as 

its first female president, with Gary Shapiro continuing 

as CEO; and 

Whereas the week of April 15, 2024, is CTA Tech Week, 

where the organization hosts CES on the Hill, its Digital 

Patriots Dinner, and will mark its 100th anniversary: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes that the Consumer Technology 

3 Association is a respected and effective advocate for 

4 United States innovators and the entire technology 

5 industry, and has been igniting innovation since 

6 1924; 

7 (2) commemorates the Consumer Technology 

8 Association’s contributions to the United States 

9 economy and society throughout its history; and 

10 (3) celebrates the 100th anniversary of the es11 tablishment of the Consumer Technology Associa12 tion. 

Æ 


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