Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 129 / Thursday, July 5, 2018 / Notices 31363 

contacted by BEA have no reporting 

responsibilities. 

BEA offers electronic filing through 

its eFile system for use in reporting on 

the BE–9 quarterly survey form. For 

information about eFile, go to 

www.bea.gov/efile. In addition, BEA 

posts all its survey forms and reporting 

instructions on its website, 

www.bea.gov/ssb. These may be 

downloaded, completed, printed, and 

submitted via fax or mail. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0608–0068. 

Form Number: BE–9. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 180 

annually (45 filed each quarter: 44 

reporting mandatory data, and one that 

would file an exemption claim). 

Estimated Time Per Response: 6 hours 

is the average for those reporting data. 

One hour is the average for those filing 

an exemption claim. Hours may vary 

considerably among respondents 

because of differences in the volume 

and complexity of information on the 

foreign air carriers represented by the 

reporter. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 1,060. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: International 

Investment and Trade in Services 

Survey Act (Pub.L. 94–472, 22 U.S.C. 

3101–3108, as amended). 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Agency, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

the Agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of 

Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14422 Filed 7–3–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of Economic Analysis 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Services Surveys: 

BE–185, Quarterly Survey of Financial 

Services Transactions Between U.S. 

Financial Services Providers and 

Foreign Persons 

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment on proposed and/or 

continuing information collections, as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before September 4, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 

14th and Constitution Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20230, or via email at 

PRAcomments@doc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Christopher Stein, Chief, 

Services Surveys Branch (SSB) BE–50, 

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. 

Department of Commerce, Washington, 

DC 20233; phone: (301) 278–9189; fax: 

(301) 278–9507; or via email at: 

christopher.stein@bea.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Quarterly Survey of Financial 

Services Transactions between U.S. 

Financial Services Providers and 

Foreign Persons (BE–185) is one of 

BEA’s primary data sources for its 

estimates of financial services exports 

and imports. A U.S. financial services 

provider must report if it had sales of 

covered services to foreign persons that 

exceeded $20 million for the previous 

fiscal year or that are expected to exceed 

that amount during the current fiscal 

year, or if it had purchases of covered 

services from foreign persons that 

exceeded $15 million for the previous 

fiscal year or that are expected to exceed 

that amount during the current fiscal 

year. 

The data are needed to monitor U.S. 

trade in financial services, to analyze 

the impact of U.S. trade on the U.S. and 

foreign economies, to compile and 

improve the U.S. economic accounts, to 

support U.S. commercial policy on trade 

in services, to conduct trade promotion, 

and to improve the ability of U.S. 

businesses to identify and evaluate 

market opportunities. The data are used 

in estimating the financial services 

component of the U.S. international 

transactions accounts (ITAs) and 

national income and product accounts 

(NIPAs). 

The Bureau of Economic Analysis 

(BEA) is proposing no additions or 

modifications to the current BE–185 

survey. The effort to keep current 

reporting requirements unchanged is 

intended to minimize respondent 

burden while considering the needs of 

data users. Existing language in the 

instructions and definitions will be 

reviewed and adjusted as necessary to 

clarify survey requirements. 

II. Method of Collection 

BEA contacts potential respondents 

by mail at the end of each fiscal quarter. 

Respondents must file completed BE– 

185 forms within 45 days after the end 

of each fiscal quarter, or within 90 days 

after the close of the fiscal year. Reports 

are required from each U.S. financial 

services provider that had sales of 

covered services to foreign persons that 

exceeded $20 million for the previous 

fiscal year, or that are expected to 

exceed that amount during the current 

fiscal year, or if it had purchases of 

covered services from foreign persons 

that exceeded $15 million for the 

previous fiscal year, or that are expected 

to exceed that amount during the 

current fiscal year. Entities required to 

report will be contacted individually by 

BEA. Entities not contacted by BEA 

have no reporting responsibilities. 

BEA offers its electronic filing option, 

the eFile system, for use in reporting on 

Form BE–185. For more information 

about eFile, go to www.bea.gov/efile. In 

addition, BEA posts all its survey forms 

and reporting instructions on its 

website, www.bea.gov/ssb. These may 

be downloaded, completed, printed, and 

submitted via fax or mail. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0608–0065. 

Form Number: BE–185. 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
31364 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 129 / Thursday, July 5, 2018 / Notices 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

2,860 annually (715 filed each quarter: 

580 reporting mandatory data, and 135 

that would file other responses). 

Estimated Time per Response: 10 

hours is the average for those reporting 

data. One hour is the average for those 

filing and exemption. Hours may vary 

considerably among respondents 

because of differences in company size 

and complexity. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 23,740. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: International 

Investment and Trade in Services 

Survey Act (Pub. L. 94–472, 22 U.S.C. 

3101–3108, as amended) and Section 

5408 of the Omnibus Trade and 

Competitiveness Act of 1988. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Agency, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

the Agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of 

Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14420 Filed 7–3–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of Economic Analysis 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Services Surveys: 

BE–125, Quarterly Survey of 

Transactions in Selected Services and 

Intellectual Property With Foreign 

Persons 

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment on proposed and/or 

continuing information collections, as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before September 4, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 

14th and Constitution Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20230, or via email at 

PRAcomments@doc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Christopher Stein, Chief, 

Services Surveys Branch BE–50 (SSB), 

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. 

Department of Commerce, Washington, 

DC 20233; phone: (301) 278–9189; fax: 

(301) 278–9507; or via email at 

christopher.stein@bea.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Quarterly Survey of Transactions 

in Selected Services and Intellectual 

Property with Foreign Persons (BE–125) 

is a survey that collects data from U.S. 

persons who engage in covered 

transactions with foreign persons in 

selected services or intellectual 

property. A Person means any 

individual, branch, partnership, 

associated group, association, estate, 

trust, corporation, or other organization 

(whether or not organized under the 

laws of any State), and any government, 

(including a foreign government, the 

United States Government, a State or 

local government, and any agency, 

corporation, financial institution, or 

other entity or instrumentality thereof, 

including a government sponsored 

agency). A U.S. person must report if it 

had sales of covered services or 

intellectual property to foreign persons 

that exceeded $6 million for the 

previous fiscal year, or are expected to 

exceed that amount during the current 

fiscal year, or if it had purchases of 

covered services or intellectual property 

from foreign persons that exceeded $4 

million for the previous fiscal year, or 

are expected to exceed that amount 

during the current fiscal year. 

The data are needed to monitor U.S. 

trade in services, to analyze the impact 

on the U.S. and foreign economies, to 

compile and improve the U.S. economic 

accounts, to support U.S. commercial 

policy on trade in services, to conduct 

trade promotion, and to improve the 

ability of U.S. businesses to identify and 

evaluate market opportunities. The data 

are used in estimating the services 

component of the U.S. international 

transactions accounts (ITAs) and 

national income and product accounts 

(NIPAs). 

The Bureau of Economic Analysis 

(BEA) is proposing one change to the 

reporting requirements and several 

modifications to the data collected on 

the BE–125 survey, beginning with 

reporting for first quarter 2019. These 

modifications would allow BEA to align 

its statistics more closely with 

international economic accounting 

guidelines, increasing the quality and 

usefulness of BEA’s published statistics 

on trade in services: 

BEA proposes to adjust the reporting 

requirements of the survey so they are 

applied based on ‘‘combined’’ 

thresholds. Currently, the reporting 

requirements for the BE–125 survey are 

applied based on the dollar amount of 

each covered transaction type collected 

on the survey. For example, a reporter 

with transactions in several of the 

services and intellectual property 

categories covered by the survey may 

only exceed the threshold for 

mandatorily reporting additional detail 

by country, and by relationship to the 

foreign transactor (foreign affiliate, 

foreign parent group, or unaffiliated), for 

a single transaction type. Under this 

approach, the reporter is only required 

to report this additional detail on the 

mandatory schedule(s) for the single 

transaction type in excess of the $6 

million (sales) or $4 million (purchases) 

threshold. 

The proposed change would modify 

the reporting thresholds such that they 

are applied based on a ‘‘combined’’ 

threshold for sales or purchases of the 

covered types of services and 

intellectual property transactions. U.S. 

persons with combined sales in excess 

of $6 million or combined purchases in 

excess of $4 million would be required 

to disaggregate all transaction types by 


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