[Federal Register: November 24, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 226)]
[Notices]
[Page 68439]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24no04-132]
[[Page 68439]]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Request for Comments Concerning Compliance with
Telecommunications Trade Agreements
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and reply comment.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and
Competitiveness Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3106) (``section 1377''), the
Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is
reviewing, and requests comments on: the operation and effectiveness of
and the implementation of and compliance with the World Trade
Organization (``WTO'') Basic Telecommunications Agreement; other WTO
agreements affecting market opportunities for telecommunications
products and services of the United States; the telecommunications
provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA''); the
Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and any other FTAs
coming into force on or before January 1, 2005; and other
telecommunications trade agreements. The USTR will conclude the review
by March 31, 2005.
DATES: Comments are due by noon on December 17, 2004 and Reply Comments
are due by noon on January 17, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff
Committee, ATTN: Section 1377 Comments, Office of the United States
Trade Representative, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Schagrin, Office of Industry
and Telecommunications (202) 395-5663; or Jim Kelleher, Office of the
General Counsel (202) 395-3858.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1377 requires the USTR to review
annually the operation and effectiveness of all U.S. trade agreements
regarding telecommunications products and services of the United States
that are in force with respect to the United States. The purpose of the
review is to determine whether any act, policy, or practice of a
country that has entered into a telecommunications trade agreement with
the United States is inconsistent with the terms of such agreement, or
otherwise denies to U.S. firms, within the context of the terms of such
agreements, mutually advantageous market opportunities. For the current
review, the USTR seeks comments on:
(1) Whether any WTO member is acting in a manner that is
inconsistent with its commitments under the WTO Basic
Telecommunications Agreement or with other WTO obligations, e.g., the
WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (``GATS''), including the
Annex on Telecommunications and the Reference Paper on Pro-Competitive
Regulatory Principles, that affect market opportunities for U.S.
telecommunications products and services;
(2) Whether Canada or Mexico has failed to comply with their
telecommunications commitments or obligations under NAFTA;
(3) Whether Chile or Singapore or any other FTA partner with an
Agreement that comes into force on or before January 1, 2005 has failed
to comply with their telecommunications commitments or obligations
under the respective FTAs between the United States and those
countries;
(4) Whether other countries have failed to comply with their
commitments under additional telecommunications agreements with the
United States, e.g., Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for
Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment. A collection of
all trade agreements, including ones related to telecommunications, can
be found at http://www.tcc.mac.doc.gov.
(5) Whether there remain outstanding issues from previous Section
1377 reviews on those countries or issues previously cited. Last year's
review can be found at http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Sectors/Manufacturing/Telecom/Section_Index.html
.
Public Comment and Reply Comment: Requirements For Submissions
All comments must be in English, identify on the first page of the
comments the telecommunications trade agreement(s) discussed therein,
and be submitted by noon on December 17, 2004. Reply Comments must be
submitted by noon on January 17, 2005. Reply comments should only
address issues raised by the comments.
In order to ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and
consideration of comments and reply comments, USTR has arranged to
accept submissions in electronic format (e-mail). Comments should be
submitted electronically to FR0502@USTR.EOP.GOV. An automatic reply
confirming receipt of e-mail submission will be sent. E-mail
submissions in Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect are preferred. If a
word processing application other than those two is used, please
include in your submission the specific application used. For any
document containing business confidential information submitted
electronically, the file name of the business confidential version
should begin with the characters ``BC.'' Any page containing business
confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers must also submit a
public version of their comments. The file name of the public version
should begin with the character ``P.'' The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be
followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or
reply comments. Interested persons who make submissions electronically
should not provide separate cover letters; rather, information that
might appear in a cover letter should be included in the submission
itself. Similarly, to the extent possible, any attachments to the
submission should be included in the same file as the submission
itself, and not as separate files. All non-confidential comments and
reply comments will be placed on the USTR Web site, http://www.USTR.gov
and in the USTR Reading Room for inspection shortly after the filing
deadline, except business confidential information exempt from public
inspection in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6.
We strongly urge people to avail themselves of the electronic
filing, if at all possible. If an e-mail submission is impossible, 15
copies of both the business confidential and public versions must be
delivered via private commercial courier, and arrangements must be made
with Ms. Blue prior to delivery for their receipt. Ms. Blue should be
contacted at (202) 395-3475. Since comments and reply comments will be
posted on USTR's Web site, those persons not availing themselves of
electronic filing must submit their 15 copies with a diskette.
An appointment to review the comments may be made by calling the
USTR Reading Room at (202) 395-6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to
the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, and is located in Room 3 of 1724 F Street., NW.
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 04-26033 Filed 11-23-04; 8:45 am]