CEA's Shapiro Calls on CE Industry to Educate Consumers on Key Issues; Coordinated Effort Can Help Protect Industry From Government Regulation

Business Wire, April 24, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)) released the following letter today from CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro to members of the association urging support and participation in a broad effort to inform and educate consumers about issues that could threaten the viability of the consumer electronics industry:

Dear CEA member:

    This is a request for you to educate and mobilize consumers around
    four primary issues: hearing loss prevention, digital television
    (DTV), the V-chip and home recording rights.

    CEA's leadership is asking the industry to support an
    unprecedented joint effort to educate consumers on these issues.
    With a unified voice, we can help consumers and protect our
    industry and your business from government regulation. We will be
    doing the right thing if we inform consumers about:

    --  Hearing Loss Prevention - The resurgence of headsets through
        MP3 and other portable devices and an aging boomer population
        have given a renewed focus on hearing loss prevention. CEA
        encourages members with relevant products to include a
        brochure on safe listening. You are invited to make copies of
        this brochure available to your customers. You can find a
        downloadable copy at http://www.CE.org/hearinglossprevention.

    --  DTV Transition - A new law requires analog broadcasting to end
        by February 17, 2009. This hard cut-off is certain to generate
        digital sales, but also cause consumer confusion and concern.
        CEA and our industry have led the nation in DTV consumer
        education but we must go further to inform consumers about the
        shut off and what it means. CEA's Video Division created a
        standard label for analog sets and language for DTV sets to
        help the industry provide consistent messaging. The industry
        approved analog label states:

        This TV has only an 'analog' broadcast tuner so will require a
        converter box after February 17, 2009 to receive over-the-air
        broadcasts with an antenna, because of the nation's transition
        to digital broadcasting on that date, as required by Federal
        law. (It should continue to work as before with cable and
        satellite TV systems, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and
        similar products.)

    You also can find this language along with materials for your use
    and distribution to your customers at www.CE.org/hdtv. You are
    welcome to download and reproduce these materials as well as
    customize them to suit your needs. We also encourage you to
    provide a link to our DTV website and/or to www.dtv.gov both of
    which include a wealth of DTV information for consumers. Please
    contact Megan Pollock of our staff at mpollock@CE.org for more
    information.

    --  V-chip - The law requires the V-chip parental control in every
        TV set. The recent focus on indecent broadcasting has brought
        CEA together with content, cable and broadcast industries in a
        voluntary agreement to promote V-chip usage and stave off
        proposals to impose new design mandates on CE products. CEA
        asks retailers and manufacturers to promote consumer awareness
        of the V-chip.

    We have created a web site for consumers www.CE.org/vchip which
    provides general information on the V-chip along with links to
    additional resources. We also offer a free "tip sheet" which can
    be downloaded, customized with your logo and made available to
    your customers. We ask you to use this material and link to our
    page from your own website. Please contact Jennifer Boone of our
    staff at jboone@CE.org for more information.


    --  Home Recording Rights - The motion picture and music
        industries continue to ask government to restrict innovation
        and the ability of consumers to choose how, when and where
        they want to view movies and listen to music. CEA runs and
        chairs the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC), which
        focuses on preserving consumer recording rights and
        manufacturers' ability to make new and useful consumer
        recording products. As we prepare for more battles protecting
        our right to innovate, we need to expand outreach to consumers
        to ask their help in contacting lawmakers to preserve consumer
        rights.

    CEA asks its members to include information about the HRRC in
    their products and link to the HRRC website from their own web
    pages. You can find recommended language for inclusion at
    http://www.hrrc.org/packageinserts.pdf. We ask you to join in this
    effort by including a link to www.hrrc.org from your site as well.
    For more information, please contact Veronica O'Connell of our
    staff at voconnell@CE.org.

    I hope you will join us in this broad effort to inform and educate
    consumers. I recognize that we are requesting a variety of actions
    but I truly believe we can protect our industry and your business
    by working together to bring the power of our message to
    consumers, legislators and regulators.

    As you review these materials, please provide us with any feedback
    or ideas on how we can enhance this campaign. And look for
    additional public education efforts from CEA in these areas
    throughout the year.

    Thank you for your consideration and best of luck with your
    business!