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Advocate for Innovation: CEA Releases Tech Agenda for the 114th CongressIn letters sent Tuesday to congressional leadership in both chambers, the Consumer Electronics Association (News - Alert) (CEA)® outlined the consumer technology industry's top legislative priorities for 2015. The letters urge leaders to advance critical priories like patent litigation reform, strategic immigration reform, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the USA FREEDOM Act in the first 100 days of Congress. "Members of Congress must move quickly on an innovation agenda that fuels our economy and creates jobs, attracts and retains the world's best and brightest talent, and protects consumers' digital privacy," said Gary Shapiro (News - Alert), president and CEO, CEA. "Empowering innovators to create new jobs, markets and industries will provide countless benefits to the U.S. economy and American consumers and enable our nation to be the world's best place to do business." To spur our innovation-driven economy, CEA's broader legislative agenda calls on Congress to stop patent litigation abuse, create a skill-based immigration system, provide additional wireless broadband spectrum, foster an environment for disruptive innovation, eliminate regulatory and tax burdens for innovators, open new trade markets to American manufacturers and protect consumers' digital privacy from government surveillance programs. The following are key excerpts from CEA's letters to congressional leaders: On Patent Reform: Every dollar companies spend fighting baseless lawsuits is a dollar not spent on creating jobs and developing new products, which makes it more difficult for the American consumer electronics industry to compete internationally. We urge both the House and Senate to quickly pass this vital legislation - every week of delay costs our economy an estimated $1.5 billion. On Strategic Immigration Reform: Innovative immigrants have always been - and will continue to be - central to America's growth, job creation and global competitiveness. Sadly, our outdated legal immigration system threatens ourability to remain the most innovative nation in the world. CEA supports strategic immigration reforms that encourage foreign-born entrepreneurs and U.S.-educated immigrants to remain in the United States to build businesses and create domestic jobs. CEA has backed reform legislation from the 113th Congress, including the Supplying Knowledge-Based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas Act (SKILLS Visa Act) and Immigration Innovation Act of 2013. On Trade: TPA gives Congress the right to vote for or against a trade agreement, but not allow extraneous adds-ons. To aid our innovators even more, TPA legislation should take a balanced approach to intellectual property by advocating for strong protections and enforcement, as well as the critical limitations and exceptions that allow innovation to go forward. The TPA should promote U.S. law's protections for online intermediaries on which our internet economy relies. On Government Surveillance: Consumers need and expect the privacy and security of their digital personal information. CEA supports reforms that place clear and reasonable restraints on governments' ability to collect data about citizens, whether for national security or law enforcement purposes. The U.S. government's bulk collection of data eroded the trust between American tech companies and foreign governments, harming our global competitiveness. This trust will not be restored without reforms to the nation's intelligence gathering programs. CEA supports the USA FREEDOM Act and EPCA reforms. To read the entire letters to congressional leadership and learn about CEA's additional legislative priorities for the new Congress, please click here. About CEA: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the technology trade association representing the $211 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 owns and produces the International CES (News - Alert) - The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org, www.DeclareInnovation.com and through social media: http://www.ce.org/social UPCOMING EVENTS
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