The Consumer Electronics Association is one of the best-known tech trade groups in D.C., counting over 2,000 members including most of the giants like Apple, Google and Sony. But the organization has decided it's time for a new name to go with a new initiative.
The CEA is now the Consumer Technology Association, a one letter difference that's more suggestive than it might seem at first glance. It's a cosmetic change that indicates the group's membership is much broader than just electronics. That was already true, but names can make an important statement. That said, the group's famed Consumer Electronics Showcase isn't changing its name according to a source at CTA. It's not the first time the group had a rebrand either. It began as the Radio Manufacturers Association back in 1924.
And there's more than a name change going on. The CTA is adding new executive board members and starting up a new sub-group called the Disruptive Innovation Council. The new Council will be lobbying specifically for those member companies particularly disruptive to their industries. The current list of 11 companies includes many of the usual suspects, including Uber, Lyft and Pandora. It's all part and parcel of the CTA's plan to better influence the tech policy debates currently roiling on Capitol Hill and in state and local governments.
CTA CEO Gary Shapiro is expected to make an official announcement later this afternoon. We will update this post then.
