Arlington, VA – 09/21/2012 – The following statement is attributable to Michael Petricone, senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®, following today’s introduction of the Internet Radio Fairness Act from Representatives Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Darrell Issa (R-Cal.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.):

            “CEA applauds Reps. Chaffetz, Issa and Polis and Sen. Wyden for introducing the Internet Radio Fairness Act, a common sense bill that would extend to webcasters the same standard for determining copyright royalty rates used by all other forms of non-broadcast radio.

“Under today’s outdated rules, Internet radio providers are forced to pay a significantly larger percentage of royalties than their competitors. In some cases, Internet radio providers pay half of their annual revenues in performance royalties, while other music providers pay less than 10 percent. This irrational and unfair royalty system hinders investment and innovation in Internet radio.

            “The changes proposed by the Internet Radio Fairness Act are simple and long overdue. They will drive innovation, investment and jobs, not just in Internet radio but also in the hardware used to access Internet services. They will benefit consumers by enabling exciting new digital music services and technologies. Finally, they will benefit artists by creating a vibrant online music ecosystem that compensates artists and performers.

“We urge the House and Senate to pass the Internet Radio Fairness Act as quickly as possible.”