[Federal Register: May 17, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 94)]
[Notices]
[Page 26811-26812]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17my99-94]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Free Trade Area of the Americas: Request for Public Comment on
Identification of a Private Sector Expert on Consumer Issues Related to
Electronic Commerce
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Joint Government-Private
Sector Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce (Joint Committee)
request for public comment on the identification of a private sector
expert on consumer issues related to electronic commerce who may wish
to participate in the work of the Joint Committee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Joint Committee on Electronic Commerce was established by
the 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere participating in the Free
Trade Area of the Americas. The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC)
seeks to identify a U.S. private sector expert on consumer issues
related to electronic commerce who may be interested in participating
in the work of the Joint Committee. Interested members of the public
are invited to submit written notice of their interest and their
qualifications.
DATES: Written expressions of interest in participating in the work of
the Joint Committee should be submitted no later than May 28, 1999.
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 Joint Committee may be
directed to Regina Vargo, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western
Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce (202) 482-5324,
Regina__Vargo@ita.doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the Second Summit of the Americas in
April 1998, in Santiago, Chile, the 34 democratically elected Western
Hemisphere countries initiated negotiations to create the FTAA by the
year 2005 and to achieve concrete progress toward that objective by the
end of the century. They established nine initial negotiating groups, a
consultative group, and two committees, one of which is the Joint
Committee. The Joint Committee is chaired by Mr. Dale Marshall of the
Government of Barbados. Ms. Regina Vargo, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce, leads the
joint U.S. government--private sector delegation to the Joint
Committee.
Joint Committee Terms of Reference: The objective of the Committee
is to make recommendations to 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. The Joint
Committee is to provide recommendations to the Vice-Ministerial Trade
Negotiations Committee (TNC) four weeks before the November 3-4, 1999
Trade Ministerial meeting. In order to develop its recommendations, the
Joint Committee is focusing on:
<bullet> Increasing understanding of the potential benefits of
electronic commerce to countries in the hemisphere;
[[Page 26812]]
<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.
Joint Committee Update: The Joint Committee is not a negotiating
group; rather it is examining a broad range of electronic commerce
issues relevant to identifying the environment that will extend the
advantages of ecommerce throughout the Western Hemisphere, in part by
keeping itself apprised of related developments in other international
fora.
A meeting of Joint Committee government representatives addressed
organizational issues in Miami in October 1998. They scheduled four
additional meetings in Miami for 1999. At the meeting on January 6-8,
the topics covered included small business, smaller economies,
governments as model users, business-to-business applications, raising
skills and awareness, network access and reliability and standards for
forms of transmissions. The meeting on April 24-26 covered trade, tax
and selected legal issues related to electronic commerce and included
expert presentations by World Trade Organization (WTO) personnel and
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) personnel. The meeting
on June 14-16 is scheduled to discuss issues related to jurisdiction
and contract law, privacy, security and reliability, authentication,
and consumer protection, and to include expert presentations by
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) personnel
and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
personnel. The fourth meeting on August 30-September 1, will focus on
other issues and on the report to Ministers.
Joint Committee Private Sector Representation: FTAA governments
decided that the Joint Committee would include private sector
representatives, which is consistent with President Clinton's principle
that the private sector should take the lead in developing the rules
for global electronic commerce. FTAA Vice Ministers for trade
determined that individual governments would identify private sector
participants, with a view toward balanced hemispheric representation in
terms of geography and electronic commerce issue expertise. On August
6, 1998, a Federal Register notice (63 FR 42090) was published inviting
expressions of interest and qualifications to participate in the work
of the Joint Committee. Based on responses, U.S. private sector
representatives were selected to reflect a balance of interests and
electronic commerce issue expertise. At that time, however, no
submissions were received from interested consumer groups. The TPSC is
now seeking to expand private sector participation on the Joint
Committee to include an expert on consumer issues related to electronic
commerce.
Public Comments
In order to assist the TPSC in identifying a U.S. private sector
expert on consumer issues related to electronic commerce, which are
scheduled to be discussed at the June 14-16 meeting, 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
and consumer protection; an ability and willingness to broadly solicit
views from and disseminate information to consumer groups; and
familiarity with U.S. and foreign trade and investment policies and
obligations. Knowledge of the Western Hemisphere, including established
contacts with foreign private sector interests in the region, would be
helpful.
Those persons wishing to make written submissions should provide
twenty (20) typed copies (in English) no later than noon, Friday, May
28, 1999 to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff
Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Room 122, 600 17th
Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20508.
Written submissions in connection with this request will be
available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room, Room 101,
Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th St., NW,
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. 99-12377 Filed 5-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3901-01-P