[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, 
[email protected]), Sarah Oliver, Deputy Project Leader, Office of 
Industries, Services Division (202-205-3288, [email protected]), 
or Services Division Chief Martha Lawless (202-205-3497, 
[email protected]). For information on the legal aspects of this 
investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of 
the General Counsel (202-205-3091; [email protected]). The 
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations 
(202-205-1819; [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 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.


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    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