[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 133 (Thursday, July 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 39675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15626]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Notice of Request for Public Comment

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce's International Trade 
Administration is seeking industry's involvement in providing 
information to inform the work program of the recently established 
Trilateral Committee on Transborder Data Flows under the Security and 
Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). In advance of its 
inaugural stakeholders' forum, tentatively scheduled for September 
2008, the Committee is soliciting assistance in identifying and 
analyzing impediments to transborder data flows that impact on 
commercial activities. The Committee, composed of government 
representatives of each of the three countries, will work in 
consultation with the business community to identify and address 
impediments to electronic information flows across borders that impact 
economic growth. The Committee will also look at regulatory 
uncertainties related to the transborder flow of data and analyze the 
impact that they are having on the marketplace. The objective is to 
foster an integrated approach to information flows in North America 
while supporting regulatory cooperation to remove barriers to 
electronic information flows. Specifically, the Department is seeking: 
(1) A description of your company's activities. (2) How your company's 
activities involve cross-border data transfers and computerized 
information flows. (3) Impediments to cross-border data transfers and 
information flows. Impediments include legislative and regulatory 
requirements and other barriers. (4) Implications and costs for the 
company of these impediments (trade and investment). Business 
proprietary information should be marked accordingly.
    Once this process has been completed, the Committee will make 
recommendations to Ministers responsible for SPP on how to solve 
identified impediments to such information flows.

DATES: August 18, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Input on the Committee's work program or inquiries about 
participation in the forum should be addressed to the contact below, 
and received by close of business on Monday, August 18, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Harris, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, Office of Technology and Electronic Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 2003, Washington, DC 20230; Telephone: 
202-482-0142; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SPP was launched in March of 2005 to 
increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, 
Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing. 
Consistent with those goals, and to serve as a catalyst for the 
development of electronic commerce and online business in North 
America, officials from Industry Canada, Mexico's Ministry of the 
Economy, and the United States Department of Commerce recently signed 
the Statement on the Free Flow of Information and Trade in North 
America (http://spp.gov/pdf/Eng_Statement_of_Free_Flow.pdf), which 
formally established the Trilateral Committee. The Statement was 
announced at the SPP Leaders meeting April 21-22 in New Orleans.

    Dated: July 2, 2008.
Robin Layton,
Director, Office of Technology and Electronic Commerce.
 [FR Doc. E8-15626 Filed 7-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P