CEA believes that mining activities that finance the ongoing civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo are unacceptable and strongly supports efforts to ensure transparency and responsible sourcing. Through industry groups like the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global eSustainability Initiative, the high-tech sector is working to ensure conflict-free sourcing of minerals, including the development of a smelter validation plan, support for pilot projects and due diligence guidelines for mining activities.

Disruptive innovation is central to America’s entrepreneurial culture. Older, established industries may claim that disruptive technologies harm their business models but the reality is that “creative destruction” drives the market through innovation, displaces older technology or ideas with the new, and improves our lives. Recently, CEA has supported disruptive technologies such as DISH Network’s “Hopper”, Aereo’s service to modernize access to broadcast television, and Uber’s popular internet-based on-call car service. It is essential that disruptive innovation be allowed to move forward, and not be stopped by incumbent industries with legal or regulatory power in order to fuel the next generation of innovation.

• January 25, 2013 – CEA Press Release: CEA and Leading Tech Groups Support the Dish Hopper

CEA and its member companies strongly believe that data collected electronically provides enormous consumer benefits and services. As such, CEA believes that any discussion of proposed privacy laws and regulations must be measured alongside the advantages afforded by the rich and often-times free innovations available online. Before any policy is adopted, we must collectively first come to a definitive, clear and data-based conclusion and consensus about what harm, if any, we seek to address.

CEA actively works with its over 2,000 members to ensure the safe use of their products. Through its Product Safety Working Group, CEA has launched over the years public relations campaigns aimed at educating the public about proper television placement to prevent injuries from falling television sets as well as other important safety issues.  For more information on these efforts, please consult CE Cares: CEA's Comprehensive Safety Campaign (www.ce.org/safety). 

CEA also continues to pursue changes to international and North American-specific safety standards.  Most recently, the Product Safety Working Group worked expeditiously to address button battery ingestion.  The group developed an industry standard for audio and video devices containing such batteries, which was recently adopted by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL).   It requires a tool or two independent and simultaneous movements to open a battery compartment.  The standard also requires warning symbols and language on the device containing the battery and in the owner’s manual on the hazards of button cell battery ingestion. CEA believes this new standard, along with parental supervision, will be an effective step forward in addressing the button battery issue.

CEA strongly supports both federal and state Right to Repair legislation, which would ensure that small and independent installation technicians have access to the bare minimum of information needed to design and install aftermarket products.

CEA opposed passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as “Card Check,” which would have eliminated the secret ballot election for union representation and mandate binding federal arbitration between an employer and employee unions.