[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 224 (Thursday, November 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62095-62096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30420]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Invitation for Comment on APEC Multilateral Negotiations 
Regarding a Mutual Recognition Agreement for Telecommunications 
Equipment

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is inviting interested 
persons to submit written comments with respect to the negotiation in 
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) of a Mutual Recognition 
Agreement (MRA) on telecommunications equipment, and, in particular, 
with respect to the potential for such an agreement to remove important 
non-tariff barriers affecting trade in telecommunications and 
information technology products. Comments received will be considered 
by the Executive Branch in formulating U.S. positions and objectives 
for negotiation of such an MRA, in particular as part of the effort by 
the APEC Telecom Working Group's MRA Task Force to conclude the text of 
such an agreement by the June 1998 meeting of APEC Telecommunications 
Ministers.

DATES: Comments are due by noon, December 15, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Gloria Blue, Executive 
Secretary, TPSC, ATTN: APEC Telecom MRA Comments, Office of the U.S. 
Trade Representative, Room 503, 600 17th Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 
20508.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Corbett, Office of Industry 
Affairs, USTR, (202-395-9586); or William Busis, Office of General 
Counsel, USTR (202-395-3150).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: APEC consists of eighteen member economies: 
Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong 
China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua 
New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. The 
APEC Telecommunications Working Group is a biannual forum in which 
telecommunications officials of APEC economies undertake cooperative 
endeavors to liberalize trade in telecommunications goods and services; 
to facilitate private sector interaction with telecommunications 
authorities on policy and business issues; to coordinate efforts to 
promote human resources development in the regional telecommunications 
industry; and to improve regional telecommunications infrastructure.
    An MRA potentially would facilitate trade in a significant portion 
of telecommunications and information equipment goods among members of 
APEC, thereby enhancing the gains we can expect from the Information 
Technology Agreement. It would allow exporters to test (``phase one'') 
and certify (``phase two'') equipment to an importing economy's 
mandatory technical requirements. It is potentially a useful means to 
cope with ever-shortening product life cycles and to reduce the 
redundancy of steps necessary to satisfy importing countries' approval 
processes. The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade encourages 
members to enter into Mutual Recognition Agreements that ``give mutual 
satisfaction regarding their potential for facilitating trade in the 
products concerned.'' An MRA does not require harmonization of 
mandatory technical requirements, albeit a possible future result of 
MRA processes is harmonization of conformity assessment and technical 
requirements, along with greater voluntary reliance on manufacturer's 
self-declarations, where this is not already the case.

Background

    At the 1995 Osaka APEC Leader's Meeting, Leaders agreed to develop 
and begin to implement, on a voluntary basis and by the end of 1997, a 
model mutual recognition arrangement for certification of 
telecommunications equipment to the mandatory technical regulations of 
importing economies. The APEC Telecommunications Working Group (the 
``TEL WG'') in September 1997 reached agreement on a voluntary 
framework for such MRAs. The TEL WG also reached agreement on 
improvements to the existing APEC guidelines for regional harmonization 
of equipment certification, which are referenced by the framework 
document.
    Based on this work, a Telecom MRA Task Force subsequently met to 
initiate work on a Mutual Recognition Agreement and annexed Phase 
Agreements, producing a bracketed text for further consideration. The 
Task Force agreed that its goal would be to complete work on the texts 
of an APEC Telecommunications Mutual Recognition Agreement and annexed 
Phase Agreements by the third meeting of the APEC Telecommunications 
Ministers, scheduled for June 1-5, 1998 in Singapore.
    The Telecom MRA Task Force has agreed that an MRA should cover any 
equipment that is subject to member economies' regulatory requirements 
for terminal attachment (wired and wireless) or other 
telecommunications regulation. For such equipment, an MRA should cover 
member economies' regulatory requirements for electromagnetic 
compatibility and product safety. The framework, improved guidelines 
and bracketed MRA text are available for inspection at the USTR reading 
room.

Invitation for Comments

    The interagency TPSC led by USTR is in the process of preparing 
negotiating positions for upcoming APEC Telecom MRA Task Force 
meetings. Interested U.S. persons are invited to submit comments, by 
noon, December 15, 1997, on what should be the U.S. goals and 
objectives for an APEC MRA on telecommunications equipment. We are 
requesting this advice pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 2155.
    Persons submitting written comments should provide a statement, in 
twenty copies, by noon, December 15, 1997, to Gloria Blue, Executive 
Secretary, TPSC, ATTN: APEC Telecom MRA Comments, Office of the U.S. 
Trade Representative, Room 503, 600 17th Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 
20508. Non-confidential information received will be available for 
public inspection by appointment in the USTR Reading Room, Room 101, 
Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 
p.m. For an appointment call Brenda Webb on 202-395-6186. Business 
confidential information will be subject to the requirements of 15 CFR 
2003.6. Any business confidential material must be clearly marked as 
such on the cover letter or cover page and

[[Page 62096]]

each succeeding page, and must be accompanied by a non-confidential 
summary thereof.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 97-30420 Filed 11-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P