[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73583-73584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29201]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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'') General Agreement on
Trade in Services; The North American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA'');
U.S. free trade agreements (``FTAs'') with Australia, Bahrain, Chile,
Colombia, Korea, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru, and Singapore; the
Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement
(``CAFTA-DR''); and any other telecommunications trade agreements, such
as Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for Conformity Assessment of
Telecommunications Equipment. The USTR will conclude the review by
March 31, 2014.
DATES: Comments are due on January 3, 2014 and reply comments on
January 24, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Submissions should be made via the Internet at
www.regulations.gov docket number USTR-2013-0039. For alternatives to
on-line submissions please contact Yvonne Jamison (202-395-3475). The
public is strongly encouraged to file submissions electronically rather
than by facsimile or mail.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan McHale, Office of Services
and Investment, (202) 395-9533; or Ashley Miller, Office of Market
Access and Industrial Competitiveness, (202) 395-9476.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1377 requires the USTR to review
annually the operation and effectiveness of all U.S. trade agreements
regarding telecommunications products and services 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 a trade agreement 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 telecommunications products and services. 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
Agreement on Basic Telecommunications Services, the Annex on
Telecommunications, and any scheduled commitments including the
Reference Paper on Pro-Competitive Regulatory Principles; the WTO
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures; the WTO Agreement
on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights; or the
plurilateral WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.
(2) Whether Canada or Mexico has failed to comply with its
telecommunications obligations under the NAFTA;
(3) Whether Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua has failed to comply with its
telecommunications obligations under the CAFTA-DR;
(4) Whether Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Morocco,
Oman, Panama, Peru, or Singapore has failed to comply with its
telecommunications obligations under its FTA with the United States
(see http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements for
links to 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://ts.nist.gov/standards/conformity/mra/mra.cfm for links to certain U.S.
telecommunications MRAs);
(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-topics/services-investment/telecom-ecommerce/section-1377-review for recent reviews); and
(7) Whether any measures or practices of a country that is a WTO
member or for which an FTA or telecommunications trade agreement has
entered into force with respect to the United States impede access to
its telecommunications markets or otherwise deny market opportunities
to telecommunications products and services of United States firms.
Measures or practices of interest include, for example, efforts by a
foreign government or a telecommunications service provider to block
services delivered over the Internet (including, but not limited to
voice over Internet protocol services, social networking, and search
services); requirements for access to or use of networks that limit the
products or services U.S. suppliers
[[Page 73584]]
can offer in specific foreign markets; the imposition of excessively
high licensing fees; unreasonable wholesale roaming rates that mobile
telecommunications service suppliers in specific foreign markets charge
U.S. suppliers that seek to supply international mobile roaming
services to their U.S. customers; allocating access to spectrum or
other scarce resources through discriminatory procedures or contingent
on the purchase of locally-produced equipment; subsidies provided to
equipment manufactures which are contingent upon exporting or local
content, or have caused adverse effects to domestic equipment
manufacturers and the imposition by foreign governments of unnecessary
or discriminatory technical regulations or standards for
telecommunications products or services. In all cases, commenters
should provide any available documentary evidence, including relevant
legal measures where available, translated into English where
necessary, to facilitate evaluation.
Public Comment and Reply Comment: Requirements for Submission
Comments in response to this notice must be written in English,
must identify (on the first page of the comments) the
telecommunications trade agreement(s) discussed therein, and must be
submitted no later than January 3, 2014. Any replies to comments
submitted must also be in English and must be submitted no later than
January 24, 2014. Comments and reply comments must be submitted using
http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2013-0039. In the
unusual case where submitters are unable to make submissions through
regulations.gov, the submitter must contact Yvonne Jamison at (202)
395-3475 to make alternate arrangements.
To submit comments using http://www.regulations.gov, enter docket
number USTR-2013-0039 under ``Key Word or ID'' on the home page and
click ``Search''. The site will provide a search results page listing
all documents associated with this docket. Locate the reference to this
notice, and click on ``Comment Now!'' Follow the instructions given on
the screen to submit a comment. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site
offers the option of providing comments by filling in a ``Type
Comment'' field or by attaching a document using the ``Upload File(s)
option. While both options are acceptable, USTR prefers submissions in
the form of an attachment. If you attach a comment, it is sufficient to
type ``see attached'' in the comment section. Please do not attach
separate cover letters to electronic submissions; rather, include any
information that might appear in a cover letter in the comments
themselves. Similarly, to the extent possible, please include any
exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file as the
submission itself, not as separate files. (For further information on
using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult the resources
provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use This Site'' on the
left side of the home page.)
Submitters should provide updated information on all issues they
cite in their filings; USTR will not review submissions that are copies
of earlier submissions.
Business Confidential Submissions
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. The top of any page
containing business confidential information must be clearly marked
``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL''. Any person filing comments that contain
business confidential information must also file in a separate
submission a public version of the comments. The file name of the
public version of the comments should begin with the character ``P''.
The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed by the name of the person or
entity submitting the comments. The submitter must include in the
comments a written explanation of why the information should be
protected. The submission must indicate, with asterisks, where
confidential information was redacted or deleted. The top and bottom of
each page of the non-confidential version must be marked either
``PUBLIC VERSION'' or ``NON-CONFIDENTIAL''.
Public Inspection of Submissions
Comments will be placed in the docket and open to public
inspection, except confidential business information. Comments may be
viewed on the http://www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the
relevant docket number in the search field on the home page.
Laurie-Ann Agama,
Acting Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-29201 Filed 12-5-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F4-P