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CEA Praises de Blasio's Decision to Drop Restrictive Ridesharing Plan

[July 22, 2015]

CEA Praises de Blasio's Decision to Drop Restrictive Ridesharing Plan

The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association (News - Alert) (CEA)^®, regarding New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to table the plan to limit the growth of ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft:

"We're pleased with Mayor de Blasio's decision to shelve the plan to put an artificial cap on Uber's presence, and welcome the news that Uber, the mayor's administration and City Council will work together on expanding economic opportunity and building a better transportation system in New York City. Ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft provide New Yorkers and city visitors with safe, affordable transportation options and help expand the city's economic growth by creating more job opportunities.

"We strongly encourage the mayor and City Council members to refrain from any anti-consumer, anti-competition and anti-innovation regulations in the future. This is a victory for ridesharing companies, but we will continue to monitor any sharing economy policies in New York that may stifle innovation - a key factor in CEA's annual Innovation Scorecard, which measures states' levels of success in welcoming and encouraging innovation."

CEA's inaugural Innovation Scorecard ranks New York as an "Innovation Adopter" - the second-highest ranking among four tiers. The state earned high marks in 2014 for its lightning-fast Internet speeds, strong per-capita venture capital investment and booming tech incubator scene, but its 2015 ranking would be at risk if it restricts new business models such as Uber and yft that challenge the status quo. The complete Innovation Scorecard - featuring category rankings, state-by-state profiles and an explanation of CEA's methodology - can be found at CE.org/scorecard.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the technology trade association representing the $286 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative and regulatory advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces CES (News - Alert) - The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at CE.org, InnovationMovement.com and through social media: http://www.ce.org/social

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