[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66563-66564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19295]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments Concerning Compliance With 
Telecommunications Trade Agreements

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and reply comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and 
Competitiveness Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3106) (`section 1377'), the 
Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is 
reviewing and requests comments on: The operation, effectiveness, and 
implementation of and compliance with the following agreements 
regarding telecommunications products and services of the United 
States: the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') Agreement; the North 
American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA''); U.S. free trade agreements 
(``FTAs'') with Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Morocco, and Singapore; the 
Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement 
(``CAFTA-DR''); and any other FTA or telecommunications trade agreement 
coming into force on or before January 1, 2007. The USTR will conclude 
the review by March 31, 2007.

DATES: Comments are due by noon on December 15, 2006 and Reply Comments 
by noon on January 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff 
Committee, Attn: Section 1377 Comments, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Hinckley, Office of 
Industry, Market Access, and Telecommunications (202) 395-9539; or Amy 
Karpel, Office of the General Counsel (202) 395-3150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1377 requires the USTR to review 
annually the operations and effectiveness of all U.S. trade agreements 
regarding telecommunications products and services of the United States 
that are in force with respect to the United States. The purpose of the 
review is to determine whether any act, policy, or practice of a 
country that has entered into an FTA or other telecommunications trade 
agreement with the United States is inconsistent with the terms of such 
agreement or otherwise denies U.S. firms, within the context of the 
terms of such agreements, mutually advantageous market opportunities. 
For the current review, the USTR seeks comments on:
    (1) Whether any WTO member is acting in a manner that is 
inconsistent with its obligations under WTO agreements affecting market 
opportunities for telecommunications products or services, e.g., the 
WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (``GATS''), including the 
Annex on Telecommunications and any scheduled commitments including the 
Reference Paper on Pro-Competitive Regulatory Principles;
    (2) Whether Canada or Mexico has failed to comply with its 
telecommunications obligations under the NAFTA;
    (3) Whether El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua have 
failed to comply with their telecommunications obligations under the 
CAFTA-DR;
    (4) Whether Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Morocco, Singapore, or any 
other country for which an FTA with the United States has entered into 
force on or before January 1, 2007, has failed to comply with its 
telecommunications obligations under the respective FTA between the 
United States and that country (see http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Section_Index.html for U.S. FTAs);
    (5) Whether any country has failed to comply with its obligations 
under telecommunications trade agreements with the United States other 
than FTAs, e.g., Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for Conformity 
Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (see http://www.tcc.mac.doc.gov for a collection of trade agreements, including 
ones related to telecommunications);
    (6) Whether any act, policy, or practice of a country cited in a 
previous section 1377 review remains unresolved (see http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Sectors/Telecom-E-commerce/Section_1377/Section_Index.html for the 2005 review); and
    (7) Whether any measures or practices impede access to 
telecommunications markets or otherwise deny telecommunications 
products and services of the United States market opportunities with 
respect to any country that is a WTO member or for which an FTA or 
telecommunications trade agreement has entered into force between such 
country and the United States. Measures or practices of interest 
include, for example, prohibitions on voice over the Internet (VOIP) 
services; blocking of web sites or web-based services accessed through 
public telecommunications services that affect services for which a WTO 
member or FTA partner has commitments; and requirements for access or 
use of networks that limit the products or services U.S. suppliers can 
offer in specific markets.

Public Comment and Reply Comment: Requirements for Submission

    All comments must be in English, identify on the first page of the 
comments the telecommunications trade agreement(s) discussed therein, 
and be submitted by noon on December 15, 2006. Reply comments must also 
be in English and be submitted by noon on

[[Page 66564]]

January 16, 2007. Reply comments should only address issues raised by 
the comments.
    In order to ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and 
consideration of comments and reply comments, USTR has arranged to 
accept submissions in electronic format (e-mail). Comments should be 
submitted electronically to [email protected]. An automatic reply 
confirming receipt of an e-mail submission will be sent. E-mail 
submissions in Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect are preferred. If a 
word processing application other than those two is used, please 
identify in your submission the specific application used. For any 
comments submitted electronically containing business confidential 
information, the file name of the business confidential version should 
begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing business 
confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS 
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of submissions 
containing business confidential information must also submit a public 
version of their comments. The file name of the public version should 
begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed 
by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or reply 
comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business 
confidential information should name their file using the character 
``P'', followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the 
comments or reply comments. Electronic submissions should not contain 
separate cover letters; rather, information that might appear in a 
cover letter should be included in the submission itself. Similarly, to 
the extent possible, any attachments to a submission should be included 
in the same file as the submission itself and not as separate files. 
All non-confidential comments and reply comments will be placed on the 
USTR Web site, http://www.USTR.gov, and 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.
    We strongly urge submitters to avail themselves of the electronic 
filing, if at all possible. If an e-mail submission is impossible, the 
submitter must deliver 15 copies of both the business confidential and 
the public versions via private commercial courier along with a 
diskette containing a copy of the business confidential and public 
version of the submission. Arrangements must be made with Ms. Blue 
prior to delivery for the receipt of such submissions. Ms. Blue should 
be contacted at (202) 395-3475.
    An appointment to review any comments and reply comments filed may 
be made by calling the USTR Reading Room at (202) 395-6186. The USTR 
Reading Room is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 
p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is located in Room 3 of 1724 
F Street, NW.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
 [FR Doc. E6-19295 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W7-P