Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade, 2011 Annual Report

AGENCY:

United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION:

Schedule for 2011 report and opportunity to submit information; availability of 2010 report.

SUMMARY:

The Commission has prepared and published annual reports in this series under investigation No. 332-345 since 1996. The 2010 report is now available from the Commission online and in CD and printed form. The 2011 report, which the Commission plans to publish in June 2011, will cover cross-border trade for the period ending in 2009 and transactions by affiliates based outside the country of their parent firm for the period ending in 2008. The Commission is inviting interested members of the public to furnish information in connection with the 2011 report.

DATES:

October 12, 2010: Deadline for filing written submissions of information to the Commission.

June 30, 2011: Anticipated date for publishing the report.

ADDRESSES:

All Commission offices are located in the United States International Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC. All written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436. The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov/edis3-internal/app.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Project Leader Samantha Brady (202-205-3459 or samantha.brady@usitc.gov) or Services Division Chief Richard Brown (202-205-3438 or richard.brown@usitc.gov) for information specific to this investigation. For information on the legal aspects of these investigations, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of the General Counsel (202-205-3091 or william.gearhart@usitc.gov). The media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations (202-205-1819 or margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov). Hearing-impaired individuals may obtain information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal at 202-205-1810. General information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet server ( http://www.usitc.gov ). Persons with mobility impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.

BACKGROUND:

Under this investigation, the Commission publishes two annual reports, one on services trade (Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade), and a second on merchandise trade (Shifts in U.S. Merchandise Trade). The latest version of the Commission's Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade is now available online at http://www.usitc.gov ; it is also available in CD and printed form from the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000 or by fax at 202-205-2104.

The initial notice of institution of this investigation was published in the Federal Register on September 8, 1993 (58 FR 47287) and provided for what is now the report on merchandise trade. The Commission expanded the scope of the investigation to cover services trade in a separate report, which it announced in a notice published in the Federal Register of December 28, 1994 (59 FR 66974). The separate report on services trade has been published annually since 1996, except in 2005. As in past years, the report will summarize trade in services in the aggregate and provide analyses of trends and developments in selected services during the latest period for which data are published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (for the 2011 report, data for the periods described above). The 2011 report will focus on selected business and professional services, alternating with the focus of the 2010 report on infrastructure services.

Written Submissions: Interested parties are invited to submit written statements and other information concerning the matters to be addressed by the Commission in its report on this investigation. Submissions should be addressed to the Secretary. To be assured of consideration by the Commission, written submissions related to the Commission's report should be submitted at the earliest practical date and should be received not later than 5:15 p.m., October 12, 2010. All written submissions must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 requires that a signed original (or a copy so designated) and fourteen (14) copies of each document be filed. In the event that confidential treatment of a document is requested, at least four (4) additional copies must be filed, in which the confidential information must be deleted (see the following paragraph for further information regarding confidential business information). The Commission's rules authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means only to the extent permitted by section 201.8 of the rules (see Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures, http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/rules/documents/handbook_on_electronic_filing.pdf ). Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Secretary (202-205-2000).

Any submissions that contain confidential business information (CBI) must also conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages be clearly marked as to whether they are the “confidential” or “non-confidential” version, and that the confidential business information be clearly identified by means of brackets. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be made available for inspection by interested parties.

The Commission intends to prepare only a public report in this investigation. The report that the Commission makes available to the public will not contain confidential business information. Any confidential business information received by the Commission in this investigation and used in preparing the report will not be published in a manner that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.