i3 - July/August 2016 - 32

Policy
T EC H N E WS

Bits and Bytes

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CTA Finds Home
Automation, IoT could cut
Energy Use by 10 Percent

As consumers increase their
use of home automation technology through the Internet of
Things (IoT), there could be a
substantial benefit in energy
savings and greenhouse gas
emissions reductions, according to a new study by CTA. The
Energy Savings Potential of
Home Automation Technology study finds widespread
adoption of home automation
products such as temperature,
circuit and lighting control,
if used for energy savings
purposes, could collectively
avoid up to 100 million tons
of CO2 emissions and reduce
total residential primary energy
consumption by as much as 10
percent. These savings would
represent more than consumer
electronics' share of residential
primary energy consumption
(8.4 percent) according to a
separate CTA study.

JULY/AUGUST 2016

The Consumer Technology
Association Political Action
Committee (CTAPAC) ensures
that CTA remains the primary
voice in the electoral process
by supporting candidates
that understand our industry
and our issues. In this session
of Congress, the consumer
technology industry will face a
range of legislation that could
have a critical impact on your
business. Through CTAPAC,
we can support candidates and
legislators who support your
views on trade, intellectual
property, energy and other
issues vital to the future of
your business. By supporting
CTAPAC, you help to advance
the priorities of our industry.
Please contact Kristin Brackemyre at 703-907-7767 or
kbrackemyre@CTA.tech with
questions and visit CTAPAC.
tech to learn more about CTA's
public policy priorities.

●
WTO 20 Years Later /
Harvard Law School

The WTO at 20 Conference
held at Harvard Law School in
April celebrated and also took
a critical look at the first 20
years of the WTO Appellate
Body. The conference discussed
the challenges confronting
WTO dispute settlement
as it enters its third decade.
The open discussion allowed
attendees from more than a
dozen countries spanning six
continents to interact with
each other. The Trans-Pacific
Partnership and America's
leadership role in the AsiaPacific Region were also examined. The keynote, "The Future
of Trade" was a conversation
with former Clinton Treasury
Secretary Lawrence Summers
and former Bush United States
Trade Representative Susan
Schwab. They debated whether
the WTO rules were out of
date in today's diverse socioeconomic environment.

The Committee on Accessible and Affordable Hearing
Health Care for Adults for the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recommended that the
Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) establish a new category
of over-the-counter (OTC)
wearable hearing devices on
June 2. While the committee
continues to recommend that
personal sound amplification devices be marketed for
non-hearing loss purposes
only, CTA is encouraged by the
committee's recognition that a
new market for hearing aids is
warranted. CTA also filed comments responding to the FTC's
reopened docket on personal
sound amplification products
(PSAPs) explaining that FDA
should permit PSAP manufacturers to market their products
for many kinds of use cases.

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Clockwise from top left: Alex Maxim/MaximImages.com; Brooks Kraft/Getty Images; iStock (2)

●
CTA Cited in
Recommendation to
Open Markets to OTC
Hearing Aids

●
CTAPAC Supports
Strong Tech
Candidates

https://www.cta.tech/Research-Standards.aspx https://www.cta.tech/Research-Standards.aspx https://www.cta.tech/Research-Standards.aspx https://www.cta.tech/Research-Standards.aspx http://www.CTAPAC.tech http://www.CTAPAC.tech

i3 - July/August 2016

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