[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1853-1854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-718]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC); Request for Comments on
CITEL Multilateral Negotiations Regarding a Mutual Recognition
Agreement for Telecommunications Equipment
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) requests comments from
interested persons to be used in formulating U.S. positions and
objectives for negotiations on a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) for
telecommunications equipment among member states of the Inter-American
Telecommunications Commission (CITEL) of the Organization of American
States (OAS).
DATES: Comments are due by noon on Tuesday, February 16, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to Gloria Blue, Executive
Secretary, TPSC, ATTN: CITEL Telecom MRA Comments, Office of the United
States Trade Representative, Room 122, 600 17th Street, NW, Washington,
DC 20508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Corbett, Office of Industry
Affairs, (202) 395-9586; or Joanna McIntosh, Office of General Counsel,
(202) 395-7203.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Leaders at the December 1994 Summit of the
Americas noted that the OAS has an important role to play in the
development of telecommunications and information infrastructure in the
Americas. CITEL is the OAS entity that is responsible for facilitating
and furthering this development. CITEL member states include: Antigua
and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and
Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The Working Group on Equipment Certification of the CITEL Permanent
Consultative Committee I (PCC-I) is a biannual forum in which the
telecommunications officials of CITEL member states undertake
cooperative endeavors: to liberalize trade in telecommunications goods
and services; to facilitate private sector interaction with
telecommunications authorities on policy and business issues; to
coordinate efforts to promote human resources development in the
regional telecommunications industry; and to improve regional
telecommunications infrastructure. At its next meeting in February or
March 1999, the CITEL Working Group on Equipment Certification will
begin negotiations on a draft MRA for telecommunications equipment
among CITEL member states.
Mutual recognition agreements allow exporters to test and/or
certify equipment to importing countries' mandatory technical
requirements. An MRA for telecommunications equipment among CITEL
member states potentially would reduce redundancy in performing
conformity assessments to satisfy importing countries' approval
processes. This would shorten approval times in a sector subject to
ever-shortening product life cycles, and thereby facilitate trade in
telecommunications equipment among CITEL member states. An MRA for
telecommunications equipment would enhance benefits accruing to the
United States from the reduction in tariffs on telecommunications
equipment under the Information Technology Agreement.
The World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to
Trade encourages members to enter into mutual recognition agreements
that ``give mutual satisfaction regarding their potential for
facilitating trade in the products concerned.'' An MRA does not require
harmonization of mandatory technical requirements.
Public Comment: Requirements for Submissions
The TPSC, chaired by the Office of the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) and including representatives of the Federal
Communications Commission and the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, requests comments on an MRA for telecommunications
equipment among CITEL member states. These comments are to be used in
the preparation of negotiating positions for upcoming CITEL Ad Hoc
Equipment Certification Working Group meetings. Comments
[[Page 1854]]
should address: the potential for such an agreement to remove important
non-tariff barriers affecting trade in telecommunications equipment,
and the prospective benefits of such an agreement to U.S. producers,
workers, and consumers. All comments must be in English, addressed to
Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC, ATTN: CITEL Telecom MRA
Comments, Office of the United States Trade Representative, and
submitted in 15 copies by noon on Tuesday, February 16, 1999.
All comments will be placed in the USTR Reading Room for inspection
shortly after the filing deadline, except business confidential
information exempt from public inspection in accordance with 15 CFR
2003.6. Confidential information submitted in accordance with 15 CFR
2003.6, must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' in a
contrasting color ink at the top of each page on each of 15 copies, and
must be accompanied by 15 copies of a nonconfidential summary of the
confidential information. The nonconfidential summary will be placed in
the USTR Public Reading Room.
An appointment to review the comments may be made by calling Brenda
Webb at (202) 395-6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public
from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday, and is located in Room 101.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 99-718 Filed 1-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M