Trade Policy Staff Committee: Free Trade Area of the Americas; Experts Committee and identification of private sector experts in electronic commerce; comment request,

[Federal Register: August 6, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 151)]

[Notices]

[Page 42090-42091]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr06au98-107]

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Free Trade Area of the Americas

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on the Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA) joint public-private sector Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce (Experts Committee); identification of private sector experts in electronic commerce who may wish to participate in the work of the Experts Committee.

SUMMARY: The FTAA Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce has been established by the 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere participating in the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) invites public comment on the work plan of the Experts Committee. In addition, the TPSC seeks to identify U.S. private sector experts on electronic commerce who may be interested in participating in the work of the Experts Committee; interested members of the public are invited to submit written notice of their interest and their qualifications.

DATES: Written comments on the the Experts Committee and expressions of interest in participating in the work of the Committee should be submitted no later than September 8, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative, (202) 395-3475. All questions concerning the Experts Committee should be directed to Regina Vargo, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce (202) 482-5324, Rvargo@USITA.GOV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 18-19, 1998, President Clinton and his 33 counterparts in the Western Hemisphere initiated negotiations to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by the year 2005 and to achieve concrete progress toward that objective by the end of the century. The leaders established a general framework for the netotiations, including a Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), composed of the 34 vice ministers responsible for trade, to oversee the negotiations. They agreed to nine initial negotiating groups, a consultative group and two committees, one of which is a joint public- private sector Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce. At its June 1998 meeting in Buenos Aires, the TNC agreed that the Experts Committee will be chaired by Mr. Dale Marshall of Barbados. It also was agreed that the initial meeting of the Experts Committee would be held before the end of October in Miami.

Experts Committee Terms of Reference: The objective of the Experts Committee is to make recommendations to trade ministers on how to increase and broaden the benefits of electronic commerce and how electronic commerce should be dealt with in the context of the FTAA negotiations. Four weeks before the October 1999 ministerial meeting, the Experts Committee is to provide recommendations to the TNC. In order to develop its recommendations, the Experts Committee will focus on:

‹bullet› Increasing understanding of the potential benefits of electronic commerce to countries in the hemisphere;

‹bullet› Identifying the environment that will allow electronic commerce to flourish;

‹bullet› Discussing infrastructure questions; and

‹bullet› Identifying how electronic commerce can facilitate the operation of trade obligations.

Experts Committee Private Sector Representation: The Experts Committee will consist of both public and private sector representatives. Individual governments will identify private sector participants with a view toward balanced hemispheric representation in terms of geography and electronic commerce issue expertise. Although the FTAA countries have not yet established the details on private sector representation, including composition, number and final selection process, the TPSC seeks to identify U.S. private sector experts on electronic commerce who may be interested in participating in the work of the Committee.

Public Comments

To prepare for the initial meeting of the Experts Committee in October 1998,

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the TPSC invites written comments on how to maximize the effectiveness of private sector participation and on possible elements of a work plan to implement the Committee's terms of reference, described above. In addition, in order to assist the TPSC in identifying U.S. private sector experts on electronic commerce who may be interested in participating in the work of the Committee, members of the public are invited to submit written notice of their interest and describe their qualifications. Qualifications of interest include: demonstrated expertise in one or more aspects of electronic commerce; knowledge of the Western Hemisphere, including established contacts with foreign private sector interests in the region; an ability and willingness to broadly solicit views from and disseminate information to private sector interests that provide Internet services, network services, content and equipment, or that represent the views of other Internet experts in the private sector, and familiarity with U.S. and foreign trade and investment policies and obligations.

Those persons wishing to submit written comments should provide twenty (20) typed copies (in English) to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Room 501, 600 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20508. Comments should state clearly the position taken and should describe the specific information supporting that position.

If the submission contains business confidential information, twenty copies of a confidential version must also be submitted. A justification as to why the information contained in the submission should be treated confidentially must be included in the submission. In addition, any submissions containing business confidential information must be clearly marked ``Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page (or letter) and of each succeeding page of the submission. The version that does not contain confidential information should also be clearly marked, at the top and bottom of each page, ``public version'' or ``non-confidential.''

Written comments submitted in connection with this request, except for information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.6, will be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room, Room 101, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. An appointment to review the file may be made by calling Brenda Webb, (202) 395-6186. The 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. Frederick L. Montgomery, Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

[FR Doc. 98-21029Filed8-5-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190-01-M