[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 206 (Monday, October 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65197-65198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27144]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Department of Commerce.
    Title: Quarterly Survey of Transactions in Selected Services and 
Intellectual Property with Foreign Persons.
    OMB Control Number: 0608-0067.
    Form Number: BE-125.
    Type of Request: Regular submission.
    Number of Responses: 8,800 annually (2,200 filed each quarter; 
1,700 reporting mandatory data, and 500 that would file other 
responses).
    Average Hours per Response: 18 hours is the average for those 
reporting data and 1 hour is the average for those not reporting data 
or providing voluntary responses, but hours may vary considerably among 
respondents because of differences in company size and complexity.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 124,400.
    Needs and Uses: The Quarterly Survey of Transactions in Selected 
Services and Intellectual Property with Foreign Persons (BE-125) is a 
survey that collects data from U.S. persons that engage in covered 
transactions with foreign persons in selected services or intellectual 
property. A U.S. person must report if sales of covered services or 
intellectual property to foreign

[[Page 65198]]

persons exceeded $6 million for the previous fiscal year, or if sales 
are expected to exceed that amount during the current fiscal year, or 
if purchases of covered services or intellectual property from foreign 
persons exceeded $4 million for the previous fiscal year, or they are 
expected to exceed that amount during the current fiscal year.
    The data are needed to monitor U.S. trade in services, to analyze 
the impact on the U.S. and foreign economies, to compile and improve 
the U.S. economic accounts, to support U.S. commercial policy on trade 
in services, to conduct trade promotion, and to improve the ability of 
U.S. businesses to identify and evaluate market opportunities. The data 
are used in estimating the services component of the U.S. international 
transactions accounts and national income and product accounts.
    The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is proposing the following 
additions and modifications to the current BE-125 survey to increase 
the quality and usefulness of BEA's published statistics on trade in 
services:
    (1) Two new schedules, Schedules D and E, will be added to collect 
additional information related to intellectual property and merchanting 
services. Schedule D is to be completed by a U.S. person who engages in 
intellectual property transactions with foreign persons. Schedule E is 
to be completed by a U.S. person who engages in merchanting services 
transactions with foreign persons.
    (2) Several services categories that are currently collected as 
part of ``other selected services'' will be collected separately. These 
services include audiovisual services, artistic-related services, 
health services, heritage and recreational services, and other personal 
services.
    (3) ``Maintenance services'' will be collected separately from 
``installation, alteration, and training services.''
    BEA estimates the proposed changes will increase the average number 
of hours per response from 16 hours to 18 hours for those reporting 
data. The reporting thresholds of the current BE-125 survey will be 
retained. The effort to keep current reporting thresholds unchanged is 
intended to minimize respondent burden while considering the needs of 
data users. Existing language in the instructions and definitions will 
be reviewed and adjusted as necessary to clarify survey requirements.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

    Dated: October 21, 2015.
Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Departmental Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-27144 Filed 10-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-06-P