"that it took compact fluorescent bulbs starting to eat up profit margins for this technology to suddenly appear? I wonder just how earth-shattering the breakthrough was or if it was something simple the industry's had on hold until the market made it worthwhile? I want to believe this was nothing but good intentions and an unexpected discovery but I've become a bit leery of the good neighbor traits of industry these days."

I think it's safe to say that *probably* they announced this because of laws outlawing the sale of product.
But I think you are looking at this completely wrong- they don't make better lights because of good intentions [for one thing bureaucracies are incapable of good intentions]. The reason companies or any kind organization makes improvements in their products is because of competition. The improvements are a product consumers consider more valuable [and therefore can be a higher price] or the improvements lower costs. Therefore GE has direct competition by other companies that make incandescent bulbs, so it's in their interest to make a better incandescent bulb if by making a better bulb they can sell more bulbs than competition can bulbs- though it's also really nice if they can patent it and make the competition pay them when they make bulbs.

So, I would say the GE was already designing the bulb, but instead keeping this a secret, they saw PR value in prematurely announcing. Or maybe it's not even matter of secret and they are merely *using* news stories regarding laws outlawing incandescent as way to piggyback and get free "ad time".