Honoring the 100th anniversary of the Consumer Technology Association.

Bill: 118-hres-1144
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48]
Introduced: 2024-04-15
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-04-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution recognizes the 100th anniversary of the Consumer Technology Association.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1144 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; 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 offices 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 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 mini-CES 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; 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 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-the-Counter 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 November, 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

That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes that the Consumer Technology Association is a respected and effective advocate for United States innovators and the entire technology industry, and has been igniting innovation since 1924; (2) commemorates the Consumer Technology Association’s contributions to the United States economy and society throughout its history; and (3) celebrates the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Consumer Technology Association.