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Potential Impacts of Revised ITRs on Global Companies Remain Unclear
Communications Daily (also in Washington Internet Daily)
January 7, 2013 (Subscription Only)
The U.S. decision not to sign the revised International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) means controversial changes to the treaty-level document will have no effect on U.S. law or the telecom sector's work within the U.S. -- but the treaty's effect on U.S. businesses' dealings internationally remain far less clear, industry experts and insiders say.
Global companies that operate in nations that signed onto the revised ITRs -- and in non-signatory nations -- face the prospect of a "balkanized system" in which they will face differing rules "from one country or region to another," Danielle Coffey, general counsel and vice president-government affairs for the Telecommunications Industry Association, told us. "Like others, we are still reviewing what the impact could be, including particularly problematic provisions related to spam and cyberissues, and will participate in other fora where these issues will surely be raised again," Coffey said.
U.S. Business Groups Flag Discriminatory Treatment in Colombia Market
Inside U.S. Trade
January 4, 2013 (Subscription Only)
Companies such as the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) excoriated the continued existence of India's so-called "indigenous innovation" policies, specifically in the government procurement sector.
TIA also criticized Chinese indigenous innovation policies. Despite China's pledge at the May 2011 Strategic and Economic Dialogue not to create a product catalogue of indigenous innovation products, TIA wrote that "provinces within China have not come in line with the national commitment and are moving forward with establishing such lists, which pose significant barriers to companies trying to access government procurement contracts."
Tech groups Laud R&D Tax Credit Extension in 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal
TheHill.com
January 2, 2013
“The R&D credit has been, and will remain, a cost-effective policy for increasing research activity and producing a dollar-for-dollar increase in research spending," TIA President Grant Seiffert said in a statement.
In a letter sent to House leaders last month, TIA urged Congress to extend the R&D tax credit in its resolution to the so-called fiscal cliff and said that failure to do so "will cause the private sector to immediately drop or scale back research plans, dealing a devastating blow to U.S. competitiveness."
Press Release
TIA Applauds Congress for Extending R&D Tax Credit
TIA’s CTO Council Developing Policy Recommendations for Advancing Network Security
We hope that China will use this break in the negotiations to reexamine its approach to the negotiations to expand the ITA and focus on reducing its overly large list of sensitive products. If China is ready to move forward to conclude the expansion of the ITA this year then the ITA Expansion is achievable this year.
As part of a large U.S. industry delegation representing a broad array of ICT manufacturers, TIA is in Geneva, Switzerland this week to cheer on the trade negotiators who are working hard to conclude the negotiations to expand the product coverage of the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The ITA remains one of the most commercially important WTO trade agreements – by eliminating tariffs on a broad range of ICT products, the ITA lowers the cost and improves access to these products, which are vital to the economic competitiveness of all economies around the world.
The Telecommunications Industry Association was in Geneva last week along with AdvaMed, the Consumer Electronics Association, the Entertainment Software Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Liquid Crystal Polymer Coalition, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Semiconductor Industry Association. This coalition of high-tech companies represents a broad spectrum of manufacturers and service providers in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
Last week was a busy one at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The signs are very encouraging that the member countries of the WTO are back on track to move the WTO’s trade liberalization agenda forward – from the new International Services Agreement (ISA) to the ongoing negotiations to expand the existing WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA).
