WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced March 13 that it is proposing to repeal its Picture Tube Rule.
The Picture Tube Rule, which is formally called the “Trade Regulation Rule Concerning the Deceptive Advertising as to Sizes of Viewable Pictures Shown by Television Receiving Sets,” was issued in 1966. It was created to prevent television manufacturers from making false claims about the size of the television sets they developed. As mandated by the rule, companies must always base screen size representation on the horizontal measurement of the actual viewable picture area, unless the company clearly and conspicuously discloses an alternative measurement method.
The FTC sought comments on the rule in 2017 and after analysis, has proposed to repeal it.
The FTC voted 2-0 to approve the notice of proposed rulemaking. The proposal is available for public comment until May 14. Afterward, the FTC will determine whether to finalize the rulemaking decision. Details of the proposed rulemaking will be published in the Federal Register. John Andrew Singer of the Bureau of Consumer Protection is staff contact for the case.