The head of the Consumer Technology Association said Friday (February 25) that it stood in solidarity with Ukraine and was fully behind the Biden Administration's export controls on communications equipment.

“The invasion of Ukraine is a tragic and illegal assault on the people and independent nation of Ukraine and an attack on democracy," said CTA President Gary Shapiro. "We call on Russia to stop its attack and end the needless loss of life and human suffering. As an American trade association, we believe in the power of democracy and the recognition of duly elected leaders. We applaud those who took to the streets in Russian cities to peacefully demonstrate against this action by their government."

As to the export sanctions meant to pressure Putin to stand down, Shapiro said: "The Consumer Technology Association fully supports tough sanctions on Russia. We will inform our members to comply with the new export controls issued in response to Russia’s actions. CTA is committed to serving as a resource for the administration during implementation.”

In addition to the restrictions on U.S. made telecom equipment, the sanctions package imposes "Russia-wide restrictions on sensitive U.S. technologies produced in foreign countries using U.S.-origin software, technology, or equipment, including on "semiconductors and telecommunications."

The Administration made clear that the sanctions are no short-term response. "The United States and our Allies and partners are unified and will continue to impose costs, forcing Putin to look to other countries that cannot replicate the financial and technology strengths of Western markets." ■

Add Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro to the list of those strongly endorsing Gigi Sohn for the fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission.

President Joe Biden resubmitted Sohn’s nomination to the Senate January 4* as the administration attempts to finally secure a Democratic majority after a year in a political 2-2 tie.

It will take that majority to tackle potential regulation of broadcasters and internet service providers, which Republicans are unlikely to vote for.

Also: Sohn Backs Nielsen as FCC's Audience Data Source

In a blog post as CTA kicks off CES 2022, Shapiro called Sohn ”a pragmatic problem solver who understands what it takes to make innovation thrive.“

Suppot from Shapiro comes hardly out of the blue. He and Sohn were on the same side of a bunch of fair use fights when she headed advocacy group Public Knowledge.

He pointed to her opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), which CTA also opposed.

“Good government depends on the leadership of good people — individuals who are committed to principles over partisanship, open to diverse perspectives and dedicated to acting in the public interest,” wrote Shapiro. “As the U.S. Senate considers a nominee for Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), I urge them to confirm a candidate who embodies these qualities: Gigi Sohn.”

Sohn got the endorsement of a trio of Obama-era FCC Homeland Security Bureau chiefs this week as well.

She has already had a nomination hearing, but has yet to get a vote out of the Senate Commerce Committee, after which she would need full-Senate confirmation.

Some Republicans have taken issue with her tweets about Fox News and past positions on net neutrality, but others concede elections have consequences and respect her intellect and her integrity. ■

*Nominations have to be resubmitted to a new session of Congress unless they have been held over by the relevant committee, which Sohn's was not.

Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro said exhibitors keep signing up for CES 2022, which launches Wednesday (January 5), and that he will feel safer there than he does at his local grocery store.

That is according to a transcript from Fox Business Network of Shapiro's appearance Tuesday on the network to talk about CES.

Shapiro said the number of exhibitors had actually increased -- the new number is 2,300 -- which comes despite some big-name drop-outs including Amazon, Google and T-Mobile over COVID-19 concerns. That is compared to the 1,700 exhibitors CES was reporting a few weeks ago, said Shapiro. "They keep signing up; we've had lots in November and lots in December," he said.

Asked why those concerned that CES might be a "superspreader event" were wrong, Shapiro said that CTA had done "everything we were supposed to do," including requiring everyone attending to have been vaccinated. In addition, CES is requiring masks and providing free tests.

Then there are the safety protocols, from limiting seating to social distancing to new types of ventilation and wider, one-way, aisles, he said, adding: "So, we've done everything we possibly can do."

But he also said it was just time to "get back to normal," and, "this is what we heard from President Biden in the last few weeks repeatedly. We've heard it from Republicans as well and other Democrats."

"We've lived with the flu all our lives and we knew there were risks there," Shapiro said. "We live with cars, we live with other things. We go to the grocery store and I feel more comfortable going to CES, in the CES bubble with only vaccinated and masked people, than I do going to my local grocery store."

His comments echoed some of the points Shapiro made in a LinkedIn post explaining the rationale for going on with the convention, partly to avoid letting down smaller companies that invested in CES exhibits to get exposure for their products. "CES will and must go on," Shapiro's post read. "It will have many more small companies than large ones. It may have big gaps on the show floor. Certainly, it will be different from previous years. It may be messy. But innovation is messy. It is risky and uncomfortable." 

On FBN, Shapiro also talked about the record number of senators who are coming and the "great showing" planned by the Biden Administration, which is to include Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Rep. James Clyburn, by contrast, has pulled out of his planned speech, according to his communications director, who cited a "scheduling change." ■

In an Apple Watch-era version of a stem-winder, Consumer Technology Association president and CEO Gary Shapiro fired back at Big Tech critics Tuesday (June 22), including backers of a bipartisan antitrust legislative package being marked up in the House this week.

In a virtual speech to the Media Institute, Shapiro said the bills were being rushed through without a hearing or testimony because it was politically expedient and that they targeted the same tech companies that rescued the country during the pandemic.

He said accommodating free speech, free markets and tech innovation is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation but suggested all those are at risk, and at an inflection point, due to attacks on tech companies from the left and right.

Also Read: Big Tech Asks Hill to Delay Antitrust Bill Markup

Shapiro said the nation appears less interested in protecting free speech than at any other time, citing "cancel culture" among the threats to the "fundamental shared desire to freely express divergent views."

He cited the defense of a Nazi group’s right to parade in Skokie, Illinois, in 1977 as an example of the kind of protection distasteful speech that appears to be at risk.

Shapiro said social media companies are being pressured by government to take actions that can't be squared with the First Amendment. He cited former President Donald Trump's social media ban, saying that is not in the best interests of the country.

He said barring the President from social media chilled speech and disenfranchised millions of his followers. And while not a Trump fan, he said, neither was he a fan of harmful and divisive" bans under pressure from politicians.  

Shapiro said he was concerned about all the bills in the House antitrust passage — which he said had been rushed through the process without hearings or testimony — but singled out one making it harder for tech platforms to buy other companies. He said that will dry up venture capital and hurt entrepreneurs since one of the ways they get that capital is the potential of a buyout.

The Platform Competition and Opportunity Act of 2021 would prohibit the purchase by a Big Tech platform of any other business unless it could prove that it is not purchasing a direct competitor.

Shapiro said both parties are pushing proposals in conflict with the letter and spirit of the First Amendment. Those include the congressional efforts, via antitrust changes. He also cited a new Florida law that tells platforms what content they can allow.

Also Read: CTA Backs Opposition to Florida’s Big Tech Law

The law limits a website’s immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Act from civil liability over its moderation of third-party content, a point its language makes clear, saying: “social media platforms have unfairly censored, shadow banned, deplatformed and applied post-prioritization algorithms to Floridians.”

He said he supported clear and reasonable guard rails — on things like defamation, slander and infringement, given that businesses prefer regulatory certainty — and it is certain there will be some kind of regulatory pushback on Big Tech, given its bipartisan backing. But Shapiro warned against imposing new liabilities, mainly removing the Section 230 legal liability shield from website moderation of third-party content. He said that would only play into the hands of lawsuit-happy attorneys.

Consumer Technology Association President Gary Shapiro is among those who believe the U.S. needs to win the race to 5G (against China, principally). But for him the race is not about the technology as much as it is about what kind of world that technology creates in the right, or wrong, hands. 

"If China wins everything, then their way of life is the way of life that gets pushed on the world," he said. 

Related: White House Praised for Signaling No Nationalizing of 5G

That came in a speech to the DC5G conference in Washington Tuesday (Nov. 5) co-sponsored by SES Networks and the Department of Homeland Security. 

Shapiro, who is all about innovation, conceded that it has its dark side as well in the wrong hands. A hammer can build a house, he said, or kill someone. 

But his focus is on the good, which is why he says the U.S. needs to win the race to a 5G world where the technology is used to benefit health, agriculture, manufacturing, jobs and the U.S. economy, rather than for surveillance and control, as would likely be the case if China dominates the space. 

He said that while people talk about the internet of things, it is really the internet of censors and connectivity. 

Shapiro said that 5G and the AI it empowers--from self-driving vehicles to robotics--together represent a real competitive economic battle for 5G, and one that is important because "our children's way of life and standard of living, the economy and jobs will all depend on how well we do as a nation in these various technologies." 

Shapiro pointed out that the U.S. and Canada have a different world view. From the U.S. view, some of China's surveillance and control uses of new tech would be unacceptable.  

He said jobs and the economy are "really important," but that the bigger issue is individual liberty. 

He said the competition over technology like 5G is "what kind of world our kids and grandkids will live in. Will it be a world with China and its allies where the individual is not important, where there are none of the things we take for granted, like freedom of religion, freedom to access the internet, freedom to vote for someone in a meaningful way, freedom to marry who you want, freedom of association, freedom to petition the government." 

"5G is part of that battle for supremacy, because if we lose we potentially lose those other battles about who we are as a nation," he said. 

Shapiro said the government needed to remain focused on clearing away regulatory impediments to that 5G goal and declaring 5G to be an important driver of economic and social benefits.  

One of those benefits, he said, was going to be self-driving cars. Shapiro said the country needs to focus on the benefits of self-driving cars rather than saying, "Oh my god, there were two people killed." Well 35,000 people die [in traffic accidents] every year. Yeah, we're going to  have some deaths with self-driving," he said. "They will happen....We'll have some challenges with 5G." 

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) said the Trump Administration's proposed 25% tariff on TVs from China, such as the TCL and Hisense brands, would cost consumers $711 million in the next year alone.

That is according to a just-released study commissioned by CTA and the National Retail Federation.

TVs are just one of more than a thousand products facing tariffs, the groups said, all potentially hitting consumers' pocketbooks.

"These proposed [TV] tariffs are bad for the economy, businesses and American consumers," said CTA CEO Gary Shapiro, who suggested that the threat of such tariffs had already had the desired effect of getting China to open the door wider for U.S. products.

"Now that China has expressed some willingness to open its market and strengthen protection of intellectual property, the Trump administration should immediately initiate negotiations," said Shapiro.

CTA said it agrees China's unfair trade practices need to be addressed, but not by punitive tariffs where those punished are consumers.

"A TV made in China that costs $250 today would cost $308 after the tariffs are applied," the CTA said, citing the study, "and one that costs $500 today would cost $615 after the tariffs are applied."

LAS VEGAS -- Five federal policymakers offered their familiar visions of core regulatory issues, including spectrum policy and net neutrality, during CES sessions.

Read More: MCN's Complete Coverage of CES 2018

With FCC chair Ajit Pai absent because of death threats he has recently received, and Democratic commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel opting to skip the program, the sessions were largely status reports on activities at the FCC, NTIA and FTC. The on-stage discussions did not address the commission’s split decision in November on ATSC 3.0 rules.

David Redl, who heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, opened the session by reading very quickly through prepared remarks touching on spectrum policy, cybersecurity, international governance and the development of telecom infrastructure, including sharing of bandwidth assigned to federal agencies.

He promised that spectrum policy will be a major focus of NTIA this year, and the agency will work with industry to develop procedures to make better use of the airwaves.

“We must do everything we can this year and beyond to accelerate America’s 5G leadership,” he said. “With 5G set to drive demand for more access to spectrum, we’ve been looking at bands across NTIA’s notorious spectrum chart.” Citing the 37-GHz band, he said NTIA is “optimistic” that “if we can get this right, it will serve as a model on how to handle sharing in other bands.”

Redl also emphasized NTIA’s prioritization of cybersecurity.

After Redl’s speech, Julie Kearney, CTA’s VP-regulatory affairs, sat down for a chat with FCC commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Brendan Carr and Michael O’Rielly.

O’Rielly said he expects a “busy and exciting year” in which the Commission will eliminate rules “that no longer make any sense,” citing Pai’s intent to delete aging regulations.

Carr predicted, “We’ll unleash more innovation and greater investment.” He also said he expects that the policies will lead to broadband expansion.

Clyburn called the Dec. 14 net-neutrality decision and its aftermath a “teachable moment.”

Kearney sought to extract opinion from the commissioners about the need for or likelihood of an update of the Communications Act that steers their decision-making. Analysts acknowledge that Congressional action on such legislation is not currently on the drawing board.

Related: Net-Neutrality Bill Is Longest of Long Shots

O’Rielly said that a new law would mean the FCC wouldn’t have to “parse out meaning” from the 1934 communications legislation and subsequent laws.

Clyburn said she is hopeful that Congress will move in a way to recognize what the FCC, although she added, “We’re not going to get a blueprint of everything that comes before us.”

At an earlier session, Federal Trade Commission chair Maureen Ohlhausen assured the audience that the FTC is ready to play a larger role in enforcing Open Internet regulations that are part of the FCC’s repeal of Title II classification.

“From the advent of the Internet until 2015, the FTC played an active role," she said. “Now that the Open Internet order was put out, eventually the authority is going to come back to the FTC.”

CTA president Gary Shapiro, who interviewed Ohlhausen on stage, said, “No other session in CES history has gotten as much pre-show attention” as the expected Pai participation.

Shapiro characterized CTA’s stance on net neutrality as "very complex in terms of nuance.” He said that he believes Republicans and Democrats agree on “the most fundamental basic principle” that consumers should be able to get whatever they want.

Reaction continued to pour in Wednesday (June 14) after President Donald Trump signaled his intention to nominate Jessica Rosenworcel to another term as an FCC commissioner.

Her nomination must still be sent to Senate, and confirmed there, but that is expected to happen without incident.

"Few people have ever walked through the doors of the Federal Communications Commission with as much knowledge, experience, and good judgment as Jessica Rosenworcel," said Michael Copps, special advisor to Common Cause. "I know from personal experience that she is among the most capable ever to hold the title of Commissioner, and her return to the Commission could not come at a more propitious time. With the Open Internet, media localism, and diversity all under threat, the public interest has never needed a public interest servant of her caliber so acutely. I urge Congress to confirm her with dispatch."

Copps is both Rosenworcel's former boss and colleague as FCC commissioner and chairman.

"Sen. [John] Thune is pleased to see Jessica Rosenworcel’s nomination moving forward," said a spokesman for the Senate Commerce Committee. "While the Commerce Committee does not yet have the necessary paperwork to act on her nomination, in deciding how to proceed, the committee will be seeking more information about the status of the administration’s efforts to nominate a qualified candidate for the remaining vacancy at the FCC. The committee also expects Rosenworcel’s nomination will allow stalled bipartisan telecommunications legislation, including the MOBILE NOW Act, to pass the Senate and advance to the House of Representatives."

Thune is chairman of the Commerce Committee and was on the record in support of Rosenworcel's renomination before that did not pan out by the end of the last Congress.

"ACA praises President Trump for announcing his intent to nominate Jessica Rosenworcel to a new term at the Federal Communications Commission," said American Cable Association President Matt Polka. "Her experience in communications law and regulation and her diligence in working through the issues are truly impressive. ACA looks forward to working with Commissioner Rosenworcel at this critical time in the quest to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, high-performance broadband. Upon her official nomination, ACA encourages the Senate to confirm her quickly."

"Commissioner Rosenworcel has distinguished herself as a smart and tireless advocate for consumers on important issues, like public safety and bridging the digital divide," said Charter in a statement. "She has shined a spotlight on the need to eliminate the homework gap to ensure America’s students have access to the digital tools to help them succeed in school. We look forward to her continued leadership and to partnering with her to make broadband more available to all Americans.”

“CenturyLink congratulates Jessica Rosenworcel on the news that she will be renominated to serve as an FCC commissioner,” said David Bartlett, CenturyLink VP of federal government affairs. “She is a thoughtful public servant who has an excellent grasp of the issues facing today's communications industry and we look forward to working with her again.”

"The Internet Innovation Alliance congratulates Jessica Rosenworcel on being nominated by President Trump for a new term as Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission," the group said. "We welcome her presence at the Commission and look forward to her strong leadership on adopting FCC policies that will help further expand broadband deployment to all Americans. IIA hopes the Senate will move quickly to confirm Rosenworcel, and we look forward to working with her in the months and years to come."

"We applaud President Trump for nominating Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel to the FCC," said Consumer Technology Association President Gary Shapiro. "Her renomination to the FCC reinforces that President Trump, an active user of anytime/anywhere connectivity, understands the importance of U.S. leadership in the digital economy and setting a market-driven, pro-innovation approach on communications and tech policy issues. We look forward to working together with the administration to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing our industry, including finding additional licensed and unlicensed spectrum."

“Jessica Rosenworcel is a committed public servant and USTelecom is grateful that her work on behalf of consumers and innovators alike can continue at the Federal Communications Commission," said USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter. "I’ve personally worked with Commissioner Rosenworcel on a number of issues over the years, including the ‘homework gap’ and closing the digital divide, and I’ve always been impressed by her intellect, her integrity and her commitment to encouraging continued investment in our nation’s broadband networks and increasing choice and opportunities for consumers. USTelecom and its members will consider it a great privilege to continue to work with her on these important issues, and we encourage the Senate to confirm her nomination swiftly."

“Congratulations to Jessica Rosenworcel on her nomination to the FCC. Jessica is a dedicated champion for schools, public safety and competition policy who has helped bring consumers and families more choices and better prices," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. “Jessica is a gifted policy maker, steeped in substance, and firmly focused on a forward vision to preserve a free and open internet, and build a better broadband future for all Americans. We look forward to working with Jessica toward policy goals that bring more competition, and more opportunity for students, start-ups, streamers and dreamers.”

"The News Media Alliance applauds the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)," said the press advocacy group. "We believe her knowledge of the issues relevant to the news media industry will be of great value in building on a rich communications landscape that will serve the public. We are supportive of her nomination and hope to see her confirmed expeditiously."

“I'm delighted that my friend and former colleague will be renominated to serve on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)," said Robert McDowell, chief public policy advisor for Mobile Future and a former FCC commissioner. "Commissioner Rosenworcel is a true intellectual who is always thoughtful and thorough in the pursuit of her duties. She brings strong experience and insight to the Commission and is a dedicated public servant who works to implement policies she believes best serve the public interest. Commissioner Rosenworcel will serve with distinction and new found energy after her hiatus. Mobile Future supports her renomination and confirmation and looks forward to working with her and the FCC around policies that will ensure our nation’s mobile future continues to drive innovation, job creation, competition, and economic growth.”

“NTCA, our membership and myself personally, congratulates Jessica Rosenworcel on being renominated to the FCC," said NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association CEO SHirley Bloomfield. "In her initial tenure at the FCC and during her distinguished career as a key congressional and FCC staffer, she was a leader for the technology industry and a champion for consumers. She knows firsthand the importance of broadband to bring advancements in healthcare, education, public safety and economic development to rural America. We are pleased for the opportunity to work with her again once she is confirmed and to pursue our shared interests in ensuring sustainable and affordable broadband access for all Americans.”

"WifiForward welcomes the opportunity to once again work with Jessica Rosenworcel and all members of the FCC on forward-thinking and balanced spectrum policies that will free up more unlicensed spectrum and promote the expansion of wireless broadband and connected devices," the group said. "We congratulate Ms. Rosenworcel, who has long been a champion of Wi-Fi and its ability to spur economic growth and innovation, while also acknowledging its importance as a tool to help narrow the homework gap and digital divide."

“I am thrilled to congratulate Jessica Rosenworcel on her renomination to the FCC,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-COnn.). “Ms. Rosenworcel has proven herself to be a dedicated public servant and a strong leader on a wide range of telecom issues that affect students, emergency responders, and everyday consumers across the country. She has been unwavering in her commitment to this work, and she deserves the same from Republican leadership: an immediate confirmation vote and a smooth transition, so she can continue advocating for American consumers.”

The House is scheduled to vote Monday evening (Feb. 6) on the Email Privacy Act, a bill that would protect data in the cloud.

A version of the bill, which would boost protections of information stored in the cloud, passed the House unanimously in the last session of Congress in April and supporters were hoping for clean passage in the Senate as well, but it was held over by the Senate Judiciary Committee after amendments were offered that could have undone a compromise approach.

The baseline bill updates the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to require the government to get a probable cause criminal warrant to access emails, social media posts and other online content stored in the cloud by internet service providers and other email service providers, like Google. In a nod to the longevity of cloud storage, it eliminates the 180-day sunset on stored communications. Previously a warrant was not required for communications stored beyond 180 days.

Consumer technology companies were urging the House to pass the bill, which it said was crucial to boosting privacy protections.

"The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, written before Congress, could imagine U.S. citizens' sharing and storing personal information on third-party servers, is woefully out of date," said Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro. "Quick action is needed to protect the privacy rights of U.S. citizens and properly regulate government access to private communications stored by third parties. The House of Representatives has an opportunity to act now by passing the Email Privacy Act, requiring the federal government to acquire a warrant prior to accessing emails and other forms of digital communications -- the same standard applied to our physical mail.

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"We applaud Reps. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) and Jared Polis (D-CO) for introducing the Email Privacy Act and urge his colleagues to advance this critical legislation," Shapiro added.

Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro went to the Hill Wednesday to pitch reconsideration of the FCC's broadband privacy framework.

CTA joined with cable operators and others last week in petitioning the commission, now under the control of Republicans opposed to that framework, to stay the implementation of the rules.

Shapiro told a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on "Reducing Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens" that the framework "threatens the current and future viability of and the innovations that have come from a vibrant Internet," including by classifying Web browsing and app use information collected by ISPs as sensitive and requiring opt-in consent. No such requirement is made of edge providers like Google or Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees their data privacy.

"The result is broad regulatory overreach over the internet by the FCC that creates legal uncertainty,” he said.

Shapiro called on legislators to step in, using the Congressional Review Act to invalidate the FCC broadband privacy rules.

Shapiro put in a plug for using an "actual harm" test for regulation, "rather than the ex ante [before the fact] approach the FCC has more recently favored."

Former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler often talked of the need to anticipate how ISPs, which he said had the incentive and ability, could engage in anticompetitive conduct, and regulate accordingly.

Shapiro also put in a plug for regulatory humility, citing acting FTC chair Maureen Ohlhausen, and for a revise of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, calling regulation "a blunt and static" instrument.

Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) asked Shapiro why he was speaking out against the rules, which apply to ISPs rather than consumer tech companies. He pointed out that some of those ISPs are also members of his association, but that beyond that, the FCC.s to bootstrapping of authority from the Open Internet order to regulate content was confusing to the marketplace in general.

A terse Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) countered that the FCC's privacy rules are important protections for tens of millions and that he would fight any effort of the Congress by the CRA or otherwise to roll them back, likening them to protections against Russian hacking.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) asked Shapiro's take on the FCC's Open Internet order, which Wicker called unecessary to advance Internet openness.

Shapiro said that the key to an open Internet was more broadband Internet access competition. He said "the whole issue would go away" if there were multiple broadband providers and that the key was faster broadband, lower prices and more competition.

Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro said a new Senate bill mandating government access to encrypted information would eviscerate cybersecurity.

A draft was leaked last week of legislation that would be introduced by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the Compliance With Court Orders Act, that would make it clear that communications companies have to provided unencrypted versions of encrypted user information, or help the government unencrypt it, when ordered to by a court.

Speaking at a Media Institute luncheon in Washington, Shapiro said the bill, or at least the draft, "is dangerously overreaching and technically unsophisticated" and would "essentially make effective cybersecurity illegal in the United States."

Shapiro said the bill would enable almost any government agency -- federal, state or local -- to demand encrypted information from ISPs, tech companies or software manufacturers.

Shapiro said the bill would push cybersecurity companies offshore, representing a huge hit on the U.S. economy.

"To be clear, if the government wants the authority to access private data in the interest of national security, investigators should turn to Congress, not industry," he said. "And in the absence of sane and sensible congressional action, Silicon Valley must protect and promote the responsibility tech companies have to their customers. That means making sure their customers’ data is secure. And they should be able to do this without fear of legal reprisal.

"We have to think long term about the benefits and challenges of data sharing," Shapiro added. "Is it better to create software which bad actors will likely obtain and exploit to compromise the security of our phones?"

The bill was prompted in part by the FBI's effort to force Apple to help it access encrypted info on the phone of one of the San Bernardino, Calif., shooters. While the FBI ultimately did not need Apple's help and dropped its court effort to compel that assistance, the government has other cases in which it wants legal help to compel decryption.

WASHINGTON — Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro says there are three key things he thinks the tech sector would like to hear from the President in his last State of the Union speech Tuesday (Jan. 12), including encouraging “disruptive innovation.”

In a blog post, Shapiro suggested that the federal regulatory climate is currently chilly to such innovation. He said the climate "piles one employer mandate atop another," including higher overtime pay that he says insures that startups won't be able to hire new talent.

In addition to asking President Obama to repeal those new Department of Labor pay thresholds, Shapiro called for passage of patent legislation targeting so-called "trolls" who are draining $1.5 billion a week from the economy in needless litigation or in court settlements, he said.

Shapiro also asked Obama keep pushing for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a historic Pacific Rim trade agreement with 11 other countries that CTA as well as TV and film producers have lobbied for as a way to expand trade and access to Asia-Pacific markets.

"Implementing new trade and patent reform policies while supporting new business models would help ferment President Obama’s pro-innovation legacy and would help the tech economy thrive," Shapiro said.