CEA President and CEO
Gary Shapiro proclaimed himself "not that optimistic" that the California Energy Commission will be dissuaded from enacting stringent new energy regulations for televisions, a proposal strongly opposed by CEA and other industry groups.
When asked what CEA's next move would be in the event of the regulations' passage, Shapiro did not commit one way or the other to the idea of a legal challenge.
Speaking at the press conference during the CES Press Preview event in New York, Shapiro assailed the regulations, which would effectively ban televisions that use a certain amount of electricity. "This is not based on science, or fact- it's based on very old data," he said, adding that the regulations would propose an "arbitrary cutoff" that is based on energy used, rather than efficiency.
The commission had reportedly scheduled a vote on the regulations last week, but a long email of comments from CEA forced a delay of the vote.
