[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52638-52640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18776]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 332-345]
Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade, 2021 Annual Report
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Schedule for 2021 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 2021 report, which the Commission plans
to publish in April 2021, will provide aggregate data on cross-border
trade in services for the period ending in 2019, and transactions by
affiliates based outside the country of their parent firm for the
period ending in 2018. The report's analysis will focus on professional
services (including management consulting services, research and
development services, education services, healthcare services,
architecture and engineering services,
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and legal services). The Commission is inviting interested members of
the public to furnish information and views in connection with the 2021
report.
DATES: September 28, 2020: Deadline for filing written submissions.
April 7, 2021: Anticipated date for online publication of the
report.
ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing
rooms, 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: Information specific to this
investigation may be obtained from Junie Joseph, Project Leader, Office
of Industries, Services Division (202-205-3363,
junie.joseph@usitc.gov), Sarah Oliver, Deputy Project Leader, Office of
Industries, Services Division (202-205-3288, sarah.oliver@usitc.gov),
or Services Division Chief Martha Lawless (202-205-3497,
martha.lawless@usitc.gov). For information on the legal aspects of this
investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of
the General Counsel (202-205-3091; william.gearhart@usitc.gov). The
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations
(202-205-1819; margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov). 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 website
(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 202-205-2000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The 2021 annual services trade report will provide
aggregate data on cross-border trade in services for 2019 and affiliate
transactions in services for 2018, and more specific data and
information on trade in professional services (management consulting,
research and development, education, healthcare, architecture and
engineering, and legal 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
2020 Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade report is now available
online at https://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 2021 report. For the 2021 report,
the Commission is particularly interested in receiving information
relating to trade in professional services (management consulting,
research and development, education, healthcare, architecture and
engineering, and legal services 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., September 28, 2020. All written
submissions must conform to the provisions of section 201.8 of the
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8), as
temporarily amended by 85 FR 15798 (March 19, 2020). Under that rule
waiver, the Office of the Secretary will accept only electronic filings
at this time. Filings must be made through the Commission's Electronic
Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-
person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings
will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding
electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket
Services Division (202-205-1802), or consult the Commission's Handbook
on Filing Procedures.
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 and mark
the summary as submitted for that purpose. 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.
[[Page 52640]]
Issued: August 21, 2020.
Lisa Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2020-18776 Filed 8-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P