CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION REACTS TO CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION TV ENERGY USE MANDATES

Unnecessary regulations bad for economy, harmful for consumers, says CEA


Arlington, Va., November 18, 2009 - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today issued the following statement regarding a decision by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to impose unprecedented and unnecessary energy efficiency standards on television sets sold in California. The following statement may be attributed to Jason Oxman, CEA's senior vice president of Industry Affairs. “CEA is extremely disappointed in the CEC's decision to regulate TV energy use. Simply put, this is bad policy-dangerous for the California economy, dangerous for technology innovation and dangerous for consumer freedom. Instead of allowing customers to choose the products they want, the Commission has decided to impose arbitrary standards that will hamper innovation and limit consumer choice. It will result in higher prices for consumers, job losses for Californians, and lost tax revenue for the state. “The CEC's actions over the past year demonstrate that this regulatory process is broken. The commissioners repeatedly rebuffed attempts from the CE industry to provide input or correct the litany of errors and flawed assumptions upon which these misguided regulations are based. With tax revenues and jobs at risk, the citizens of California deserve a more reasoned and fact-based approach to regulation. The Commission has ignored the concerns of small business owners and consumers who will be adversely impacted by these regulations and the detrimental effect they will have on California's job market and economy. “Energy efficiency is a shared concern for all parties. In fact, the consumer electronics industry has led the effort to reduce energy usage by with innovative, energy-efficient products, and consumers have responded with increased demand for these products. The industry has been so successful, that in the last two years alone energy efficiency of televisions has improved by 41 percent. But rather than build on these efforts, the CEC chose to create a new regulatory regime and micromanage the design and development of future televisions. “We will continue to pursue legislative and legal solutions to ensure that California citizens will not suffer the consequences of this misguided policy. About CEA: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $172 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.