[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51870-51872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24261]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-345]


Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade, 2018 Annual Report

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Schedule for 2018 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 2018 report,

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which the Commission plans to publish in May 2018, will provide 
aggregate data on cross-border trade in services for the period ending 
in 2017, and transactions by affiliates based outside the country of 
their parent firm for the period ending in 2015. The report's analysis 
will focus on electronic services (including audiovisual, computer, and 
telecommunication services).The Commission is inviting interested 
members of the public to furnish information and views in connection 
with the 2018 report.

DATES: December 20, 2017: Deadline for filing written submissions. May 
30, 2018: 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 Leaders Jeremy Streatfeild 
(202-205-3349, [email protected]) and Isaac Wohl (202-205-
3356, [email protected]), or Services Division Chief Martha Lawless 
(202-205-3497, [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.
    Background: The 2018 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 electronic 
services (audiovisual, computer, and telecommunication services). 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 2017 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 2018 report. For the 2018 report, 
the Commission is particularly interested in receiving information 
relating to trade in electronic services (audiovisual, computer, and 
telecommunication services). 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 20, 2017. 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, https://www.usitc.gov/secretary/documents/handbook_on_filing_procedures.pdf 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

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Electronic Document Information System (EDIS) where the full written 
submission can be found.

    By order of the Commission.
    Issued: November 2, 2017.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2017-24261 Filed 11-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P