[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45723-45724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21735]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC): Request for Identification 
of Private Sector Experts In Electronic Commerce Who May Wish To 
Participate in the Work of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) 
Joint Government-Private Sector Committee of Experts on Electronic 
Commerce (Joint E-Commerce Committee)

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for identification of private sector experts on 
electronic commerce.

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SUMMARY: The TPSC seeks to identify U.S. private sector experts on 
issues related to electronic commerce who may be interested in 
participating in the work of the FTAA Joint E-Commerce Committee. 
Interested members of the public are invited to submit written notice 
of their interest and their qualifications.

DATES: Written expressions of interest in participating in the work of 
the Joint Committee should be submitted no later than noon on September 
13, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Expressions of interest (original plus 20 copies) should be 
submitted to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff 
Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 1724 F St., Fifth 
Floor, NW, Washington, D.C., 20508. Attn: FTAA Joint E-Commerce 
Committee-Private Sector Participation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy 
Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
(202) 395-3475. All other questions concerning the Joint E-Commerce 
Committee may be directed to Walter Bastian, Acting Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce (202) 
482-4325, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    At the Second Summit of the Americas in April 1998, in Santiago, 
Chile, the 34 democratically-elected Western Hemisphere leaders 
initiated negotiations to create the FTAA no later than the year 2005. 
They established nine negotiating groups, a consultative group, and two 
non-negotiating committees, one of which is the Joint E-Commerce 
Committee, which began its work in August 1998. The trade ministers 
mandated that both government and private sector experts meet as the 
Joint E-Commerce Committee to make recommendations on how to increase 
and broaden the benefits of electronic commerce; the Joint E-Commerce 
Committee is not a negotiating group.
    During 1998-1999, the Government of Barbados chaired the Joint E-
Commerce Committee. During 2000-2001, a Uruguayan private sector 
representative chaired. The Government of Canada is currently chairing 
the Committee through October 2002 with a Peruvian private sector 
representative serving as Vice Chair. Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary 
of Commerce for the Western Hemisphere, Walter Bastian, is leading the 
U.S. Government-private sector delegation to the Joint E-Commerce 
Committee.
    Status of Work in the Joint Committee: At each of the past two FTAA 
Ministerial meetings, in Toronto, Canada in November 1999 and Buenos 
Aires, Argentina in April 2001, trade ministers received, and released 
to the public, reports prepared by the Joint E-Commerce Committee 
reflecting the culmination of its discussions over the preceding 18 
months on a broad range of electronic commerce issues. The Joint E-
Commerce Committee's recommendations on increasing and broadening the 
benefits of electronic commerce were drafted with the full 
participation of government and private sector experts from every 
region in the Hemisphere. FTAA trade ministers committed to share the 
report and its recommendations with other relevant authorities within 
their governments. They also instructed the Joint E-Commerce Committee 
to continue its work as a non-negotiating group and produce further 
recommendations over the next 18-month period. The ``Second Report with 
Recommendations to Ministers April 9, 2001,'' is available in English 
and Spanish on the USTR website (www.ustr.gov), the official FTAA 
website (http://www.ftaa-alca.org) and the U.S. Government Electronic 
Commerce website (http://www.ecommerce.gov).
    The Joint E-Commerce Committee met most recently on July 23-24, 
2001 in Panama City, Panama. At this meeting, the Joint E-Commerce 
Committee's government and private sector representatives identified 
issues to be discussed during the next phase of its work. Over the next 
year, the Joint E-Commerce Committee will focus on the digital divide 
(including issues related to access and infrastructure, small and 
medium sized enterprises, education

[[Page 45724]]

and training); consumer protection; and e-government. The Joint E-
Commerce Committee will make further recommendations to trade ministers 
for their consideration at the next FTAA Ministerial meeting in October 
2002.

2. Private Sector Participation

    During 1998-1999, 13 U.S. private sector representatives, 
reflecting a balance of interests and electronic commerce issue 
expertise, participated in the work of the Joint E-Commerce Committee. 
Nineteen (19) U.S. private sector representatives participated during 
2000-2001. All had responded to notices in the Federal Register (63 FR 
42090, August 6, 1998, 64 FR 26811, May 17, 1999, 65 FR 40, February 
29, 2000 and 65 FR 150, August 3, 2000) or to requests to official 
trade advisors inviting expressions of interest and qualifications to 
participate in the work of the Joint E-Commerce Committee.
    As the Joint E-Commerce Committee focuses on its work for 2001-
2002, the TPSC is seeking to solicit interest in new U.S. private 
sector participation on the Joint E-Commerce Committee. In order to 
assist the TPSC in identifying U.S. private sector experts on issues 
related to the Joint E-Commerce Committee's upcoming work, members of 
the public are invited to submit written notice of their interest and 
describe their qualifications. Qualifications of interest include: 
demonstrated expertise in one or more aspects of electronic commerce, 
such as the digital divide, consumer protection, e-government; 
knowledge of the Western Hemisphere, including established contacts 
with foreign private sector interests in the region; an ability and 
willingness to broadly solicit views from and disseminate information 
to private sector interests; and familiarity with U.S. and foreign 
trade and investment policies and obligations and developments in 
electronic commerce fora.

Written Expression of Interest

    Persons wishing to make written expressions of interest should 
provide the original plus twenty (20) typed copies, to Gloria Blue, 
Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the U.S. 
Trade Representative, 1724 F St., NW, Washington, D.C., 20508, (202) 
395-3475, no later than noon, September 6, 2001. If possible, 
expressions of interest should be submitted before this date.
    Business confidential information will be subject to the 
requirements of 15 CFR 2003.6. Any business confidential material must 
be clearly marked as such on the cover letter or page and each 
succeeding page, and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential summary 
thereof. If the submission contains business confidential information, 
twenty copies of a public version that does not contain confidential 
information must be submitted. A justification as to why the 
information contained in the submission should be treated 
confidentially must be included in the submission. In addition, any 
submissions containing business confidential information must be 
clearly marked ``Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page 
(or letter) and each succeeding page of the submission. The version 
that does not contain confidential information should also be clearly 
marked, at the top and bottom of each page, ``public version'' or 
``non-confidential.''
    Nonconfidential submissions will be available for public inspection 
in the USTR Reading Room in the Annex of the Office of the USTR, 1724 F 
Street, N.W., Room Three, Washington, DC. An appointment to review the 
file may be made by calling Brenda Webb (202) 395-6186. The Reading 
Room is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. 
to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
    To be assured of consideration for participation in this round of 
discussions, expressions of interest should be submitted no later than 
12 noon on September 13, 2001.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 01-21735 Filed 8-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P