[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80682-80683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27446]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-345]


Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade, 2017 Annual Report

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Schedule for 2017 report and opportunity to submit information.

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SUMMARY: The Commission has prepared and published annual reports in 
this series under investigation No. 332-345, Recent Trends in U.S. 
Services Trade, since 1996. The 2017 report, which the Commission plans 
to publish in May 2017, will provide aggregate data on cross-border 
trade in services for the period ending in 2015, and transactions by 
affiliates based outside the country of their parent firm for the 
period ending in 2014. The report's analysis will focus on professional 
services (including accounting and auditing, architecture and 
engineering, legal services, and business management and 
consulting).The Commission is inviting interested members of the public 
to furnish information and views in connection with the 2017 report.

DATES: December 16, 2016: Deadline for filing written submissions.
    May 19, 2017: Anticipated date for publishing the report.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices are located in the United States 
International Trade Commission Building, 500 E St. SW., Washington, DC. 
All written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, United 
States International Trade Commission, 500 E St. SW., Washington, DC 
20436. The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the 
Commission's electronic docket information system (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Art Chambers (202-205-
2766 or [email protected]) or Services Division Chief 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 Internet server (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: The 2017 annual services trade 
report will provide aggregate data on cross-border trade and affiliate 
transactions in services, and more specific data and information on 
trade in professional services (accounting and auditing, architecture 
and engineering, legal services, and business and management 
consulting). Under Commission investigation No. 332-345, the Commission 
publishes two annual reports, one on services trade (Recent Trends in 
U.S. Services Trade), and a second on merchandise trade (Shifts in U.S. 
Merchandise Trade). The Commission's 2016 annual report in the series 
of reports on Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade is now available 
online at http://www.usitc.gov.
    The initial notice of institution of this investigation was 
published in the Federal Register on September 8, 1993 (58 FR 47287) 
and provided for what is now the report on merchandise trade. The 
Commission expanded the scope of the investigation to cover services 
trade in a separate report, which it announced in a notice published in 
the Federal Register on December 28, 1994 (59 FR 66974). The separate 
report on services trade has been published annually since 1996, except 
in 2005. As in past years, the report will summarize trade in services 
in the aggregate and provide analyses of trends and developments in 
selected services industries during the latest period for which data 
are published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic 
Analysis.
    Written Submissions: Interested parties are invited to file written 
submissions and other information concerning the matters to be 
addressed by the Commission in its 2017 report. For the 2017 report, 
the Commission is particularly interested in receiving information 
relating to trade in professional services (accounting and

[[Page 80683]]

auditing, architecture and engineering, legal, and business and 
management consulting). Submissions should be addressed to the 
Secretary. To be assured of consideration by the Commission, written 
submissions related to the Commission's report should be submitted at 
the earliest practical date and should be received not later than 5:15 
p.m., December 16, 2016. 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 paragraph below for 
further information regarding confidential business information). 
Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the 
Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (202-205-1802).
    Confidential business information. Any submissions that contain 
confidential business information (CBI) must also conform with the 
requirements in 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 confidential or non-confidential, 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.
    The Commission intends to prepare only a public report in this 
investigation. The report that the Commission makes available to the 
public will not contain confidential business information. However, all 
information, including confidential business information, submitted in 
this investigation may be disclosed to and used: (i) By the Commission, 
its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or 
maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in 
internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to 
the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including 
under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and 
contract personnel solely for cybersecurity purposes. The Commission 
will not otherwise disclose any confidential business information in a 
manner that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the 
information.
    Summaries of Written Submissions: The Commission intends to publish 
summaries of the positions of interested persons in this report. If you 
wish to have a summary of your position included in an appendix of the 
report, please include a summary with your written submission. The 
summary may not exceed 500 words, should be in MSWord format or a 
format that can be easily converted to MSWord, and should not include 
any confidential business information. The summary will be published as 
provided if it meets these requirements and is germane to the subject 
matter of the investigation. In the report the Commission will identify 
the name of the organization furnishing the summary, and will include a 
link to the Commission's Electronic Document Information System (EDIS) 
where the full written submission can be found.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: November 9, 2016.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2016-27446 Filed 11-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P