FTC Repeals ‘Picture Tube Rule’ as 'No Longer Necessary' for Marketing TVs

FTC repeal of the five-decade-old “picture tube rule” to prevent deceptive marketing of TV screen sizes (see 1803130054) takes effect 90 days after notice in the Federal Register, said the commission Tuesday. The rule “is no longer necessary to prevent deceptive claims regarding the size of television screens or to encourage uniformity and accuracy in their marketing,” it said. The FTC “retains its authority to address future unfair or deceptive practices relating to television screen measurement on a case-by-case basis,” it said: The commission relied heavily on CTA comments that keeping the rule “would not provide any meaningful benefit to consumers because market forces will continue to make a screen’s diagonal measurement the industry standard,” said the notice.