[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 87 (Monday, May 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21404-21405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-09180]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-562 and Investigation No. 332-563 ]


Global Digital Trade 2: The Business-to-Business Market, Key 
Foreign Trade Restrictions, and U.S. Competitiveness; and Global 
Digital Trade 3: The Business-to-Consumer Market, Key Foreign Trade 
Restrictions, and U.S. Competitiveness; Institution of investigations

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of two additional investigations.

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SUMMARY: In response to the request from the U.S. Trade Representative 
(USTR) dated January 13, 2017 under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 
1930, the U.S. International Trade Commission has instituted the second 
and third of three investigations on global digital trade: 
investigation No. 332-562, Global Digital Trade 2: The Business-to-
Business Market, Key Foreign Trade Restrictions, and U.S. 
Competitiveness; and investigation No. 332-563, Global Digital Trade 3: 
The Business-to-Consumer Market, Key Foreign Trade Restrictions, and 
U.S. Competitiveness. The Commission will schedule a public hearing and 
provide opportunity for the public to file written submissions in 
connection with both investigations, with dates and procedures relating 
to both announced in a later notice.

DATES: 
October 29, 2018: Expected transmittal of the Global Digital Trade 2 
report to the USTR.
March 29, 2019: Expected transmittal of the Global Digital Trade 3 
report to the USTR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information relating to Global 
Digital Trade 2, contact co-Project Leaders Dan Kim (202-205-3234 or 
[email protected]) and Alissa Tafti (202-205-3244 or 
[email protected]); and for information relating to Global Digital 
Trade 3, contact Project Leader Ricky Ubee (202-205-3493 or 
[email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader Christopher Robinson 
(202-205-2602 or [email protected]). 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 (https://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 
202-205-2002.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: As indicated above, in his letter on January 13, 2017, 
the USTR requested that the Commission conduct three investigations and 
prepare three reports relating to global digital trade. The Commission 
instituted the first of these investigations, Global Digital Trade 1: 
Market Opportunities and Key Foreign Trade Restrictions, on February 6, 
2017 and published notice of the investigation in the Federal Register 
on February 10, 2017 (82 FR 10397). The Commission held a public 
hearing in the first investigation on April 4, 2017, and is to transmit 
its report in that investigation to the USTR by August 29, 2017. For 
more information about the first investigation, including deadlines for 
filing briefs, statements, and other written submissions in that 
investigation, see the Commission's notice published in the Federal 
Register and posted on the Commission's Web site at http://www.usitc.gov.
    The Commission is now announcing the institution of the second and 
third investigations in this series. As requested by the USTR, the 
Commission's report on the second investigation, titled Global Digital 
Trade 2: The Business-to-Business Market, Key Foreign Trade 
Restrictions, and U.S. Competitiveness, will build on the first report 
to:
     Provide qualitative, and to the extent possible, 
quantitative analysis of measures in key foreign markets (identified in 
the first report) that affect the ability of U.S. firms to develop and/
or supply business-to-business digital products and services abroad; 
and
     Assess, using case studies or other qualitative and 
quantitative methods, the impact of these measures on the 
competitiveness of U.S. firms engaged in the sale of digital products 
and

[[Page 21405]]

services, as well as on international trade and investment flows 
associated with digital products and services related to significant 
business-to-business technologies.
    The Commission expects to deliver this second report to the USTR by 
October 29, 2018.
    As requested by the USTR, the Commission's report on the third 
investigation, titled Global Digital Trade 3: The Business-to-Consumer 
Market, Key Foreign Trade Restrictions, and U.S. Competitiveness, will 
build on the first and second reports to:
     Provide qualitative, and to the extent possible, 
quantitative analysis of measures in key foreign markets (identified in 
the first report) that affect the ability of U.S. firms to develop and/
or supply business-to-consumer digital products and services abroad; 
and
     Assess, using case studies or other qualitative and 
quantitative methods, the impact of these measures on the 
competitiveness of U.S. firms engaged in the sale of digital products 
and services, as well as on international trade and investment flows 
associated with digital products and services related to significant 
business-to-consumer technologies.
    The Commission expects to deliver this third report to the USTR by 
March 29, 2019.
    Public Hearing, Written Submissions: The Commission expects to hold 
a public hearing in the spring of 2018 in connection with the second 
and third investigations. The Commission will announce the time and 
place in a later notice.
    The Commission will also provide opportunity for interested members 
of the public to file written submissions in connection with the second 
and third investigations. The Commission will announce the time and 
procedures relating to the filing of those written submissions in a 
later notice. The Commission will also identify in that notice any 
particular issues or subject areas that it would like members of the 
public to address in their written submissions or in hearing testimony.
    Portions of the Second and Third Reports to be Classified as 
National Security Information and be Subject to the Deliberative 
Process Privilege: In his letter requesting the investigations, the 
USTR indicated that portions of the Commission's second and third 
reports containing the Commission's analysis of the impact of foreign 
barriers to digital trade on (1) U.S. imports and exports of digital 
products and services and (2) the competitiveness of U.S. companies 
will be classified on the basis that those portions concern economic 
matters relating to national security that impact USTR negotiation and 
enforcement priorities. USTR also indicated that it intends to treat 
the Commission's second and third reports as interagency memoranda 
containing predecisional advice subject to the deliberative process 
privilege.
    In his request letter, the USTR indicated that his office intends 
to make the Commission's first report in this series available to the 
public in its entirety.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: May 2, 2017.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2017-09180 Filed 5-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P