[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