[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]
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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.
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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,
[[Page 42091]]
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. 98-21029 Filed 8-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M