The
Consumer Technology Association (
CTA) is a private standards and trade organization representing 1,376 consumer technology companies in the United States. It is not part of the US Government. CTA works to influence public policy, holds events such as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) & CES Asia, conducts market research, and helps its members and regulators implement technical standards. CTA is led by president and CEO Gary J. Shapiro.
en.wikipedia.org
CTA originally started as the
Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA) in 1924. In 1950, it changed its name to
Radio-Television Manufacturers Association (RTMA). In 1953, it changed its name to
Radio-Electronics-Television Manufacturers Association (RETMA). It was then the
Electronic Industries Association (EIA) from 1957 to 1998, when it became the
Electronic Industries Alliance. In 1995, EIA's Consumer Electronics Group (CEG) became the
Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA). In 1999, President Gary Shapiro announced the trade group's name change from CEMA to the
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and became an independent sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). The name of CEA was changed to Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in November 2015.
I always wonder about any group that changes its name so often. All those names over the years seem to suggest
initial success … but what is their real intent?