[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2854-2855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-938]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Economic Analysis


Proposed Data Sharing Activity

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) proposes to provide to 
the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) data collected from several 
surveys that it conducts on U.S. direct investment abroad, foreign 
direct investment in the United States, and U.S. international services 
transactions for statistical purposes exclusively. In accordance with 
the requirement of Section 524(d) of the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), we are 
providing the opportunity for public comment on this data-sharing 
action.
    The data provided to the Census Bureau will be used for two 
purposes:
    (1) Data from BEA surveys of U.S direct investment abroad and 
foreign direct investment in the United States will be linked with data 
from the Survey of Industrial Research and Development conducted by the 
Census Bureau under a joint partnership agreement with the National 
Science Foundation (NSF). The linked data will be used to produce 
aggregate tabulations for the NSF, which will provide an integrated 
data set on

[[Page 2855]]

R&D performance and funding with domestic and foreign ownership detail. 
BEA will use the linked data to augment its existing R&D-related data, 
identify data quality issues arising from reporting differences in BEA 
and Census Bureau surveys, and improve its survey sample frames. The 
Census Bureau will identify unmatched companies on BEA files that 
conduct R&D activities and add them to the R&D survey to improve the 
survey's sample. The NSF will be provided non-confidential aggregate 
data (public use) and reports that have cleared BEA and Census Bureau 
disclosure review. Disclosure review is a process conducted to verify 
that the data to be released do not reveal any confidential 
information.
    (2) BEA will also provide data to the Census Bureau in order to 
link records from its surveys of U.S. international services 
transactions, U.S. direct investment abroad, and foreign direct 
investment in the United States with information from the Census 
Bureau's Business Register and with data from the 2002 Economic Census. 
This linked information will be used by the BEA to evaluate the 
feasibility of developing state-level estimates of service exports.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 26, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program 
to the Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BE-1), Washington, DC 
20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on 
this proposed program should be directed to Ned G. Howenstine, Chief, 
Research Branch, International Investment Division, Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (BE-50), Washington, DC 20230, by phone (202) 606-9845 or by 
fax (202) 606-5318.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    CIPSEA (Pub. L. 107-347, Title V) and the International Investment 
and Trade in Services Survey Act (Pub. L. 94-472, 22 United States Code 
(U.S.C.) 3101-3108) allow BEA and the Census Bureau to share certain 
business data for exclusively statistical purposes. Section 524(d) of 
the CIPSEA requires a Federal Register notice announcing the intent to 
share data (allowing 60 days for public comment). Section 524(d) also 
requires us to provide information about the terms of the agreement for 
data sharing. For purposes of this notice, BEA has decided to group 
these terms by three categories. The categories are:
     Shared data.
     Statistical purposes for the shared data.
     Data access and confidentiality.

Shared Data

    BEA proposes to provide the Census Bureau with data from its 
surveys of U.S. direct investment abroad, foreign direct investment in 
the United States, and U.S. international services transactions. The 
agreement also calls for the Census Bureau to share data collected from 
the Survey of Industrial Research and Development, the 2002 Economic 
Census, and its Business Register with BEA. The Census Bureau will 
issue a separate notice addressing this issue. The shared BEA and 
Census Bureau data will be used for statistical purposes only.

Statistical Purposes for the Shared Data

    Data collected in BEA's surveys of direct investment are used to 
develop estimates of the financing and operations of U.S. parent 
companies, their foreign affiliates, and U.S. affiliates of foreign 
companies, and estimates of transactions and positions between parents 
and affiliates. Data collected in BEA's surveys of U.S. international 
services transactions are used to develop estimates of services 
transactions between U.S. persons (in a broad legal sense, including 
companies) and foreign persons. These estimates are published in the 
Survey of Current Business, BEA's monthly journal; in other BEA 
publications; and on BEA's Web site at http://www.bea.gov/. All data 
are collected under sections 3101-3108, of Title 22, U.S.C.
    The data sets created by linking these data with the data from the 
above-designated Census Bureau surveys and Business Register will be 
used for several exclusively statistical purposes by both agencies, 
such as for evaluating the feasibility of developing state-level 
estimates of U.S. services exports, and producing aggregate tabulations 
of data for the NSF that augment and improve information on 
international aspects of R&D performance, funding, and related economic 
activity.

Data Access and Confidentiality

    Title 22, U.S.C. 3104 protects the confidentiality of the data to 
be provided by BEA to the Census Bureau. The data may be seen only by 
persons sworn to uphold the confidentiality of the information. Access 
to the shared data will be restricted to specifically authorized 
personnel and will be provided for statistical purposes only. Any 
results of this research are subject to BEA disclosure protection. All 
Census Bureau employees with access to these data will become BEA 
Special Sworn Employees--meaning that they, under penalty of law, must 
uphold the data's confidentiality. Selected NSF employees will provide 
BEA with expertise on various aspects of R&D performance and funding of 
companies that provide data to BEA. These NSF consultants assisting 
with the work at the BEA also will become BEA Special Sworn Employees. 
No confidential data will be provided to the NSF.

J. Steven Landefeld,
Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
 [FR Doc. E7-938 Filed 1-22-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P