[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 139 (Monday, July 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42284-42285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17006]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Economic Analysis

[Docket No. 140625540-4540-01]


Proposed Data Sharing Activity

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) plans to provide to the 
Bureau of the Census (Census) certain business data collected on its 
benchmark and annual surveys of U.S. direct investment abroad and 
foreign direct investment in the United States 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. BEA will provide data collected in its 
surveys to link with data from the Census Company Organization Survey 
(COS). The linked data will be used for several purposes by both 
agencies, such as validating data collected on, and improving the 
sample of, the COS and assisting both agencies in developing specific 
questionnaire language to measure topics related to economic 
globalization, such as international trade in contract manufacturing 
services and intellectual property. The BEA and Census Bureau may 
publish non-confidential aggregate reports (public use) that have 
cleared the BEA and Census Bureau disclosure reviews.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before 5 p.m. September 
19, 2014.

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 Raymond Mataloni, 
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BE-50), 
Washington, DC 20230, via the Internet at [email protected], by 
phone on (202) 606-9867, or by FAX on (202) 606-2934.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 42285]]

Background

    Title 13 United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 402, Title 22 U.S.C., 
Section 3104(d), and Section 524(a) of the CIPSEA (44 U.S.C. 3501 note) 
allow BEA and Census to share certain business data for exclusively 
statistical purposes. Section 524(d) of the CIPSEA requires us to 
publish a Federal Register notice announcing our intent to share data 
(allowing 60 days for public comment), since BEA respondents were 
required by law to report the data. 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 Census with data collected in the benchmark 
and annual surveys of U.S. direct investment abroad and of foreign 
direct investment in the United States. Census will use these data for 
statistical purposes exclusively.

Statistical Purposes for the Shared Data

    Data collected in the benchmark and annual 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. 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 to 
be shared by BEA are collected pursuant to the International Investment 
and Trade in Services Survey Act (22 U.S.C. 3101-3108).
    The data set created by linking these data with data from the 
Census COS will be used for several purposes by both agencies, such as 
validating data collected on, and improving the sample of, the COS and 
assisting both agencies in developing specific questionnaire language 
to measure topics related to economic globalization, such as 
international trade in contract manufacturing services and intellectual 
property.

Data Access and Confidentiality

    Title 22, U.S.C., Section 3104(c), protects the confidentiality of 
these data. 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 and Census disclosure protection. All Census employees with 
access to BEA data will become BEA Special Sworn Employees--meaning 
that they, under penalty of law, must uphold the data's 
confidentiality. All BEA employees with access to Census data will 
become special sworn agents of the Census Bureau--meaning that they, 
under penalty of law, must uphold the data's confidentiality.

    Dated: July 9, 2014.
Brian Moyer,
Acting Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2014-17006 Filed 7-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P