[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 9 (Monday, January 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2690-2691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00506]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-531]


Digital Trade in the U.S. and Global Economies, Part I; 
Institution of Investigation and Scheduling of Hearing

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation and scheduling of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt of a request dated December 13, 2012 
(received on December 14, 2012) from the Senate Committee on Finance, 
(Committee) under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1332(g)), the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) 
instituted investigation No. 332-531, Digital Trade in the U.S. and 
Global Economies, Part I, for the purpose of preparing the first of two 
reports requested by the Committee.

DATES: 
February 21, 2013: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the public 
hearing.
February 26, 2013: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
March 7, 2013: Public hearing.
March 14, 2013: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and statements.
March 14, 2013: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
July 14, 2013: Transmittal of Commission report to the Committee.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing 
rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission

[[Page 2691]]

Building, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC. All written submissions 
should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade 
Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436. The public record 
for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic 
docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov/edis3-internal/app.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Matthew Reisman (202-
205-2163 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader Martha 
Lawless (202-205-3497 or [email protected]) for information 
specific to this investigation. For information on the legal aspects of 
these investigations, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's 
Office of the General Counsel (202-205-3091 or 
[email protected]). The media should contact Margaret 
O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations (202-205-1819 or 
[email protected]). Hearing-impaired individuals may obtain 
information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal 
at 202-205-1810. General information concerning the Commission may also 
be obtained by accessing its Web site (http://www.usitc.gov). Persons 
with mobility impairments who will need special assistance in gaining 
access to the Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 
202-205-2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: As requested, the Commission will deliver two reports 
to the Committee. The first report, Digital Trade in the U.S and Global 
Economies, Part I, will:
     Describe U.S. digital trade in the context of the broader 
economy;
     Examine U.S. and global digital trade, the relationship to 
other cross-border transactions (e.g., foreign direct investment), and 
the extent to which digital trade facilitates and enables trade in 
other sectors;
     Describe notable barriers and impediments to digital 
trade; and
     Outline potential approaches for assessing the linkages 
and contributions of digital trade to the U.S. economy, noting any 
challenges associated with data gaps and limitations. Such 
contributions and linkages may include effects on consumer welfare, 
output, productivity, innovation, business practices, and job creation.
    For the purposes of the report, the Commission is defining 
``digital trade'' to encompass commerce in products and services 
delivered over digital networks. Examples include software, digital 
media files (e.g., e-books and digital audio files), and services such 
as data processing and hosting. The report will also examine how other 
industries, such as financial services and retailing, make use of 
digital products and services for production and trade.
    The Commission will institute a second investigation at a later 
date for the purpose of preparing the second report. As requested by 
the Committee, the second report will build on the first report to:
     Estimate the value of U.S. digital trade and the potential 
growth of this trade;
     Examine the broader linkages and contributions of digital 
trade to the U.S. economy;
     Present case studies that examine the importance of 
digital trade to selected U.S. industries that use or produce such 
goods and services; and
     Examine the effect of notable barriers and impediments to 
digital trade on selected industries and the broader U.S. economy.
    The second report will be delivered to the Committee within 19 
months. More information regarding the second report will be made 
available when the second investigation is instituted.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with these 
investigations will be held at the U.S. International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on 
March 7, 2013. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed 
with the Secretary, no later than 5:15 p.m., February 21, 2013, in 
accordance with the requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. 
All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 
5:15 p.m., February 26, 2013; and all post-hearing briefs and 
statements should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., March 14, 2013. In 
the event that, as of the close of business on February 21, 2013, no 
witnesses are scheduled to appear at the hearing, the hearing will be 
canceled. Any person interested in attending the hearing as an observer 
or nonparticipant should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-
205-2000 after February 21, 2013, for information concerning whether 
the hearing will be held.
    Written Submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in 
the hearing, interested parties are invited to file written submissions 
concerning this investigation. All written submissions should be 
addressed to the Secretary, and should be received not later than 5:15 
p.m., March 14, 2013. All written submissions must conform with the 
provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 and the Commission's Handbook 
on Filing Procedures require that interested parties file documents 
electronically on or before the filing deadline and submit eight (8) 
true paper copies by 12:00 p.m. eastern time on the next business day. 
In the event that confidential treatment of a document is requested, 
interested parties must file, at the same time as the eight paper 
copies, at least four (4) additional true paper copies in which the 
confidential information must be deleted (see the following paragraph 
for further information regarding confidential business information). 
Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the 
Secretary (202-205-2000).
    Any submissions that contain confidential business information 
(CBI) must also conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 
201.6 of the rules requires that the cover of the document and the 
individual pages be clearly marked as to whether they are the 
``confidential'' or ``non-confidential'' version, and that the 
confidential business information be clearly identified by means of 
brackets. All written submissions, except for confidential business 
information, will be made available for inspection by interested 
parties. In its request letter, the Committee stated that it intends to 
make the Commission's reports available to the public in their 
entirety, and asked that the Commission not include any confidential 
business information or national security classified information in the 
reports that the Commission sends to the Committee. Any confidential 
business information received by the Commission in this investigation 
and used in preparing this report will not be published in a manner 
that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: January 8, 2013.
Lisa R. Barton,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2013-00506 Filed 1-11-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P