Request for Comments on Significant Foreign Trade Barriers for the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report, 71775-71777 [2024-19694]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 3, 2024 / Notices tkelley on LAP7H3WLY3PROD with NOTICES2 the requirements of section 207(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) and authorized by the annual Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions. The P–3 category is available to qualifying family members of U.S.-based residents (persons already admitted to the U.S. as refugees or who were granted asylum in the United States, including persons who may now be lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens). Qualifying family members of U.S.-based residents include spouses, unmarried children under age 21, and parents. Eligible P–3 nationalities are determined on an annual basis by the President. In order to access the USRAP through P–3, an applicant must have an Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) filed on his or her behalf by a U.S-based family member. The AOR also informs the U.Sbased family member that DNA evidence of all claimed parent-child relationships between the U.S-based family member and parents and/or unmarried children under 21 is required as a condition of access to P–3 processing; it further informs the U.Sbased family member that the costs of DNA testing will be borne by the U.S. Government. DNA testing between the QFM and any derivative applicant(s) (unmarried child under the age of 21), to prove the existence of their claimed family relationship, will be at no expense to the U.S. Government. Methodology This information collection currently involves the limited use of electronic techniques. An anchor may complete an AOR at any local office of a Resettlement Agency (RA) that has a cooperative agreement with the Department of State to assist refugees who have been resettled in the United States. In order to file an AOR, a U.Sbased family member must be at least 18 years of age and have been admitted to the United States as a refugee or granted asylum in the United States no more than five years prior to the filing of the AOR. The AOR is available electronically, is completed electronically with the assistance of RA staff, and is submitted electronically by RA staff to a Department of Statecontracted facility, where it is manually uploaded into the USRAP case management system. In addition, the RA local office prints a copy for the respondent’s ink signature, then submits the signed form to the RA headquarters. Kelly A. Gauger, Deputy Director, PRM/A, Department of State. [FR Doc. 2024–19620 Filed 8–30–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–33–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 22:46 Aug 30, 2024 Jkt 262001 71775 DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2651a, 22 U.S.C. 1469, 5 U.S.C. 1001 et seq., and 41 CFR 102–3.150.) [Public Notice: 12520] Sarah E. Arkin, Executive Director, U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Department of State. U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy; Notice of Meeting [FR Doc. 2024–19704 Filed 8–30–24; 8:45 am] The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD) will hold an in-person public meeting with online access on Monday, September 30, 2024. A panel of experts will discuss the role international expositions have in promoting public diplomacy with an eye towards the USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The meeting will be held at Meridian International Center, 1630 Crescent Place NW, Washington, DC 20009. This meeting is open to the public, including the media and members and staff of governmental and nongovernmental organizations. To attend the event, please register at https:// iipstate.my.site.com/ CRMEventRegistration/s/registrationpage?event=2oAj7wzHg_ qPOJ5RdlQr12Hz47Z4PmOt c3hXBizCvQU. Doors will open at 10 a.m. To request reasonable accommodation, please email ACPD Program Assistant Kristy Zamary at ZamaryKK@state.gov. Please send any request for reasonable accommodation no later than Thursday, September 12, 2024. Requests received after that date will be considered but might not be possible to fulfill. Since 1948, the ACPD has been charged with appraising activities intended to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics and to increase the understanding of, and support for, these same activities. The ACPD conducts research that provides honest assessments of public diplomacy efforts, and disseminates findings through reports, white papers, and other publications. It also holds public symposiums that generate informed discussions on public diplomacy issues and events. The Commission reports to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress and is supported by the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. For more information on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, please visit https://bit.ly/ ACPDSite, or contact Executive Director Sarah Arkin at ArkinSE@state.gov or Senior Advisor Dan Langenkamp at LangenkampDB@state.gov. PO 00000 Frm 00526 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 BILLING CODE 4710–45–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket Number USTR–2024–0015] Request for Comments on Significant Foreign Trade Barriers for the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), publishes the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE Report) each year. USTR invites comments to assist it and the TPSC in identifying significant foreign barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. foreign direct investment, and U.S. electronic commerce for inclusion in the NTE Report. USTR also will consider responses to this notice as part of the annual review of the operation and effectiveness of all U.S. trade agreements regarding telecommunications products and services that are in force with respect to the United States. DATES: October 17, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET: Deadline for submission of comments. SUMMARY: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov (Regulations.gov). The instructions for submitting comments are in sections IV and V below. The docket number is USTR– 2024–0015. For alternatives to online submissions, please contact Laura Buffo, Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, at ForeignTradeBarriersReport@ ustr.eop.gov or 202.395.3475 in advance of the deadline. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Buffo, Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, at ForeignTradeBarriersReport@ ustr.eop.gov or 202.395.3475. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ADDRESSES: U:\REGISTER\03SEN1.SGM 03SEN1 71776 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 3, 2024 / Notices I. Background Section 181 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2241), requires USTR annually to publish the NTE Report, which sets out an inventory of significant foreign barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, including agricultural commodities and U.S. intellectual property; foreign direct investment by U.S. persons, especially if such investment has implications for trade in goods or services; and U.S. electronic commerce. The inventory facilitates U.S. negotiations aimed at reducing or eliminating these barriers and is a valuable tool in enforcing U.S. trade laws and agreements and strengthening the rules-based trading system. You can find the 2024 NTE Report on USTR’s website at https://ustr.gov/sites/default/ files/2024%20NTE%20Report_1.pdf. To ensure compliance with the statutory mandate for the NTE Report and the Administration’s commitment to focus on significant foreign trade barriers, USTR will take into account comments in response to this notice when deciding which significant barriers to include in the NTE Report. tkelley on LAP7H3WLY3PROD with NOTICES2 II. Topics on Which the TPSC Seeks Information To assist USTR in preparing the NTE Report, commenters should submit information related to one or more of the following categories of foreign trade barriers: 1. Import policies. Examples may include tariffs and other import charges; quantitative restrictions; import licensing; customs barriers, preshipment inspection, and trade facilitation or customs valuation practices; and, other market access barriers. 2. Technical barriers to trade. Examples may include unnecessarily trade restrictive or discriminatory standards, conformity assessment procedures, or technical regulations, including unnecessary or discriminatory technical regulations or standards for telecommunications products. 3. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Examples may include measures relating to food safety, or animal and plant life or health that are unnecessarily trade restrictive, discriminatory, or not based on scientific evidence. 4. Government procurement. Examples may include closed bidding and bidding processes that lack transparency. 5. Intellectual property protection. Examples may include inadequate patent, copyright, and trademark regimes; trade secret theft; and, VerDate Sep<11>2014 22:46 Aug 30, 2024 Jkt 262001 inadequate enforcement of intellectual property rights. 6. Services. Examples may include prohibitions or restrictions on foreign participation in the market, discriminatory licensing requirements or standards, local-presence requirements, and unreasonable restrictions on what services may be offered. 7. Electronic commerce/digital trade. Examples may include restrictions on the supply of internet-enabled services, and other restrictive technology requirements. 8. Investment. Examples include limitations on foreign equity participation and on access to foreign government-funded research and development programs, technology transfer requirements and export performance requirements, and restrictions on repatriation of earnings, capital, fees and royalties. 9. Subsidies. Examples may include subsidies contingent upon export performance, and agricultural export subsidies that displace U.S. exports in third country markets. 10. Competition. Examples may include government-tolerated anticompetitive conduct that restricts the sale or purchase of U.S. goods or services in the foreign country’s markets. 11. State-owned enterprises. Examples may include actions by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and by governments with respect to SOEs involved in the manufacture or production of nonagricultural goods or in the supply of services that constitute significant barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. investments, or U.S. electronic commerce, which may negatively affect U.S. firms and workers. These actions include subsidies and non-commercial advantages provided to and from SOEs; and practices with respect to SOEs that discriminate against U.S. goods or services, or actions by SOEs that are inconsistent with commercial considerations in the purchase and sale of goods and services. 12. Labor. Examples may include concerns with failures by a government to protect internationally recognized worker rights or to eliminate discrimination in respect of employment or occupation, in cases where these failures influence trade flows or investment decisions in ways that constitute significant barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. investment, or U.S. electronic commerce, which may negatively affect U.S. firms and workers. Internationally recognized worker rights PO 00000 Frm 00527 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 include: the right of association; the right to organize and bargain collectively; a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor; a minimum age for the employment of children, and a prohibition on the worst forms of child labor; and, acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health. 13. Environment. Examples may include concerns with a government’s levels of environmental protection, unsustainable stewardship of natural resources, and harmful environmental practices that constitute significant barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. investment, or U.S. electronic commerce, which may negatively affect U.S. firms or workers. 14. Other barriers. Examples may include significant barriers or distortions that are not covered in any other category above or that encompass more than one category, such as bribery and corruption, or that affect a single sector. Please provide, if available, the titles of relevant laws or measures and a description of the concerns with which the laws or measures relate to the significant foreign barriers or distortions identified. Commenters should place particular emphasis on any practices that may violate U.S. trade agreements. USTR also is interested in receiving new or updated information pertinent to the barriers covered in the 2024 NTE Report as well as information on new barriers. If USTR does not include in the 2025 NTE Report information that it receives pursuant to this notice, it will maintain the information for potential use in future discussions or negotiations with trading partners. Commenters should submit information related to one or more of the following export markets to be covered in the report: Algeria, Angola, the Arab League, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, the European Union, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Vietnam. Commenters U:\REGISTER\03SEN1.SGM 03SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 3, 2024 / Notices may submit information related to significant barriers or distortions in export markets other than those listed in this paragraph. In addition, Section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3106) (Section 1377) requires USTR annually to review the operation and effectiveness of U.S. telecommunications trade agreements that are in force with respect to the United States. The purpose of the review is to determine whether any foreign government that is a party to one of those agreements is failing to comply with that government’s obligations or is otherwise denying, within the context of a relevant agreement, ‘‘mutually advantageous market opportunities’’ to U.S. telecommunications products or services suppliers. USTR will consider responses to this notice in the review called for in Section 1377 and highlight both ongoing and emerging barriers to U.S. telecommunications services and goods exports in the 2025 NTE Report. tkelley on LAP7H3WLY3PROD with NOTICES2 III. Estimate of Increase in Exports To the extent possible, each comment should include an estimate of the potential increase in exports of goods or services of the United States, U.S. foreign direct investment, or U.S. electronic commerce that would result from removing any significant foreign trade barrier the comment identifies, as well as a description of the methodology the commenter used to derive the estimate. Commenters should express estimates within the following value ranges: less than $25 million; $25 million to $100 million; $100 million to $500 million; and over $500 million. IV. Requirements for Submissions To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments by the October 17, 2024 11:59 p.m. ET deadline. All submissions must be in English. USTR strongly encourages submissions via Regulations.gov. To submit via Regulations.gov, use Docket Number USTR–2024–0015 in the ‘search for’ field on the home page and click ‘search.’ The site will provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice by selecting ‘notice’ under ‘document type’ in the ‘refine documents results’ section on the left side of the screen and click on the link entitled ‘comment.’ Regulations.gov allows users to make submissions by filling in a ‘type comment’ field, or by attaching a document using the ‘upload file’ field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an attached document and note ‘‘see attached comments with respect to (name of VerDate Sep<11>2014 22:46 Aug 30, 2024 Jkt 262001 country)’’ in the ‘comment’ field on the online submission form. The first page of the submission must identify ‘Comments Regarding Foreign Trade Barriers to U.S. Exports for 2025 Reporting—[name of country or countries discussed].’ Commenters providing information on more than one country should provide a separate attachment for each country as part of the same submission. USTR strongly encourages commenters to provide only one submission. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an application other than those two, please indicate the name of the application in the ‘type comment’ field. You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the submission procedure at Regulations.gov. The tracking number is confirmation that Regulations.gov received your submission. Keep the confirmation for your records. USTR is not able to provide technical assistance for Regulations.gov. For further information on using Regulations.gov, please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on ‘How to Use Regulations.gov’ on the bottom of the home page. USTR may not consider submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions. If you are unable to provide submissions as requested, please contact Laura Buffo, Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, in advance of the deadline at ForeignTradeBarriers Report@ustr.eop.gov or 202.395.3475 to arrange for an alternative method of transmission. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions. General information concerning USTR is available at https://www.ustr.gov. V. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must certify that the information is business confidential and you would not customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business confidential version should begin with the characters ‘BCI.’ You must clearly mark any page containing BCI with ‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’ on the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must submit a public version that will be placed in the docket for public inspection. The file name of the public version should begin with the character ‘P.’ Follow the ‘BCI’ and ‘P’ with the name of the person or entity submitting the comments. PO 00000 Frm 00528 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 71777 VI. Public Viewing of Review Submissions USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view comments on Regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR– 2024–0015 in the search field on the home page. Laura Buffo, Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative. [FR Doc. 2024–19694 Filed 8–30–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3390–F4–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [Docket No. NHTSA–2024–0052] Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Examining the Effectiveness of Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist Advanced Driver Assistance Systems for Improving Driver Response National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a new information collection. AGENCY: NHTSA invites public comments about our intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new information collection. Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from OMB. Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections. This document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval titled ‘‘Examining the Effectiveness of Lateral Control Warnings (ADAS) for Improving Driver Response’’. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 4, 2024. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA– 2024–0052 through any of the following methods: • Electronic submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// SUMMARY: U:\REGISTER\03SEN1.SGM 03SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71775-71777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19694]


=======================================================================
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2024-0015]


Request for Comments on Significant Foreign Trade Barriers for 
the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), 
through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), publishes the National 
Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE Report) each year. 
USTR invites comments to assist it and the TPSC in identifying 
significant foreign barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of 
goods and services, U.S. foreign direct investment, and U.S. electronic 
commerce for inclusion in the NTE Report. USTR also will consider 
responses to this notice as part of the annual review of the operation 
and effectiveness of all U.S. trade agreements regarding 
telecommunications products and services that are in force with respect 
to the United States.

DATES: October 17, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET: Deadline for submission of 
comments.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). The instructions for submitting comments are in 
sections IV and V below. The docket number is USTR-2024-0015. For 
alternatives to online submissions, please contact Laura Buffo, Chair 
of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, at 
[email protected] or 202.395.3475 in advance of 
the deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Buffo, Chair of the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee, at [email protected] or 
202.395.3475.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 71776]]

I. Background

    Section 181 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2241), 
requires USTR annually to publish the NTE Report, which sets out an 
inventory of significant foreign barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. 
exports of goods and services, including agricultural commodities and 
U.S. intellectual property; foreign direct investment by U.S. persons, 
especially if such investment has implications for trade in goods or 
services; and U.S. electronic commerce. The inventory facilitates U.S. 
negotiations aimed at reducing or eliminating these barriers and is a 
valuable tool in enforcing U.S. trade laws and agreements and 
strengthening the rules-based trading system. You can find the 2024 NTE 
Report on USTR's website at https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2024%20NTE%20Report_1.pdf. To ensure compliance with the statutory 
mandate for the NTE Report and the Administration's commitment to focus 
on significant foreign trade barriers, USTR will take into account 
comments in response to this notice when deciding which significant 
barriers to include in the NTE Report.

II. Topics on Which the TPSC Seeks Information

    To assist USTR in preparing the NTE Report, commenters should 
submit information related to one or more of the following categories 
of foreign trade barriers:
    1. Import policies. Examples may include tariffs and other import 
charges; quantitative restrictions; import licensing; customs barriers, 
preshipment inspection, and trade facilitation or customs valuation 
practices; and, other market access barriers.
    2. Technical barriers to trade. Examples may include unnecessarily 
trade restrictive or discriminatory standards, conformity assessment 
procedures, or technical regulations, including unnecessary or 
discriminatory technical regulations or standards for 
telecommunications products.
    3. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Examples may include 
measures relating to food safety, or animal and plant life or health 
that are unnecessarily trade restrictive, discriminatory, or not based 
on scientific evidence.
    4. Government procurement. Examples may include closed bidding and 
bidding processes that lack transparency.
    5. Intellectual property protection. Examples may include 
inadequate patent, copyright, and trademark regimes; trade secret 
theft; and, inadequate enforcement of intellectual property rights.
    6. Services. Examples may include prohibitions or restrictions on 
foreign participation in the market, discriminatory licensing 
requirements or standards, local-presence requirements, and 
unreasonable restrictions on what services may be offered.
    7. Electronic commerce/digital trade. Examples may include 
restrictions on the supply of internet-enabled services, and other 
restrictive technology requirements.
    8. Investment. Examples include limitations on foreign equity 
participation and on access to foreign government-funded research and 
development programs, technology transfer requirements and export 
performance requirements, and restrictions on repatriation of earnings, 
capital, fees and royalties.
    9. Subsidies. Examples may include subsidies contingent upon export 
performance, and agricultural export subsidies that displace U.S. 
exports in third country markets.
    10. Competition. Examples may include government-tolerated 
anticompetitive conduct that restricts the sale or purchase of U.S. 
goods or services in the foreign country's markets.
    11. State-owned enterprises. Examples may include actions by state-
owned enterprises (SOEs) and by governments with respect to SOEs 
involved in the manufacture or production of non-agricultural goods or 
in the supply of services that constitute significant barriers to, or 
distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. investments, 
or U.S. electronic commerce, which may negatively affect U.S. firms and 
workers. These actions include subsidies and non-commercial advantages 
provided to and from SOEs; and practices with respect to SOEs that 
discriminate against U.S. goods or services, or actions by SOEs that 
are inconsistent with commercial considerations in the purchase and 
sale of goods and services.
    12. Labor. Examples may include concerns with failures by a 
government to protect internationally recognized worker rights or to 
eliminate discrimination in respect of employment or occupation, in 
cases where these failures influence trade flows or investment 
decisions in ways that constitute significant barriers to, or 
distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. investment, or 
U.S. electronic commerce, which may negatively affect U.S. firms and 
workers. Internationally recognized worker rights include: the right of 
association; the right to organize and bargain collectively; a 
prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor; a 
minimum age for the employment of children, and a prohibition on the 
worst forms of child labor; and, acceptable conditions of work with 
respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and 
health.
    13. Environment. Examples may include concerns with a government's 
levels of environmental protection, unsustainable stewardship of 
natural resources, and harmful environmental practices that constitute 
significant barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of goods and 
services, U.S. investment, or U.S. electronic commerce, which may 
negatively affect U.S. firms or workers.
    14. Other barriers. Examples may include significant barriers or 
distortions that are not covered in any other category above or that 
encompass more than one category, such as bribery and corruption, or 
that affect a single sector.
    Please provide, if available, the titles of relevant laws or 
measures and a description of the concerns with which the laws or 
measures relate to the significant foreign barriers or distortions 
identified. Commenters should place particular emphasis on any 
practices that may violate U.S. trade agreements. USTR also is 
interested in receiving new or updated information pertinent to the 
barriers covered in the 2024 NTE Report as well as information on new 
barriers. If USTR does not include in the 2025 NTE Report information 
that it receives pursuant to this notice, it will maintain the 
information for potential use in future discussions or negotiations 
with trading partners.
    Commenters should submit information related to one or more of the 
following export markets to be covered in the report: Algeria, Angola, 
the Arab League, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, 
Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, 
Cote d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, 
Ethiopia, the European Union, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, 
India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, 
Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, 
Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, 
Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, 
Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, 
Uruguay, and Vietnam. Commenters

[[Page 71777]]

may submit information related to significant barriers or distortions 
in export markets other than those listed in this paragraph.
    In addition, Section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness 
Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3106) (Section 1377) requires USTR annually to 
review the operation and effectiveness of U.S. telecommunications trade 
agreements that are in force with respect to the United States. The 
purpose of the review is to determine whether any foreign government 
that is a party to one of those agreements is failing to comply with 
that government's obligations or is otherwise denying, within the 
context of a relevant agreement, ``mutually advantageous market 
opportunities'' to U.S. telecommunications products or services 
suppliers. USTR will consider responses to this notice in the review 
called for in Section 1377 and highlight both ongoing and emerging 
barriers to U.S. telecommunications services and goods exports in the 
2025 NTE Report.

III. Estimate of Increase in Exports

    To the extent possible, each comment should include an estimate of 
the potential increase in exports of goods or services of the United 
States, U.S. foreign direct investment, or U.S. electronic commerce 
that would result from removing any significant foreign trade barrier 
the comment identifies, as well as a description of the methodology the 
commenter used to derive the estimate. Commenters should express 
estimates within the following value ranges: less than $25 million; $25 
million to $100 million; $100 million to $500 million; and over $500 
million.

IV. Requirements for Submissions

    To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments by the 
October 17, 2024 11:59 p.m. ET deadline. All submissions must be in 
English. USTR strongly encourages submissions via Regulations.gov.
    To submit via Regulations.gov, use Docket Number USTR-2024-0015 in 
the `search for' field on the home page and click `search.' The site 
will provide a search-results page listing all documents associated 
with this docket. Find a reference to this notice by selecting `notice' 
under `document type' in the `refine documents results' section on the 
left side of the screen and click on the link entitled `comment.' 
Regulations.gov allows users to make submissions by filling in a `type 
comment' field, or by attaching a document using the `upload file' 
field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an attached 
document and note ``see attached comments with respect to (name of 
country)'' in the `comment' field on the online submission form. The 
first page of the submission must identify `Comments Regarding Foreign 
Trade Barriers to U.S. Exports for 2025 Reporting--[name of country or 
countries discussed].' Commenters providing information on more than 
one country should provide a separate attachment for each country as 
part of the same submission. USTR strongly encourages commenters to 
provide only one submission. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word 
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an application other than 
those two, please indicate the name of the application in the `type 
comment' field.
    You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the 
submission procedure at Regulations.gov. The tracking number is 
confirmation that Regulations.gov received your submission. Keep the 
confirmation for your records. USTR is not able to provide technical 
assistance for Regulations.gov.
    For further information on using Regulations.gov, please consult 
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use 
Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. USTR may not consider 
submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions.
    If you are unable to provide submissions as requested, please 
contact Laura Buffo, Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, in 
advance of the deadline at [email protected] or 
202.395.3475 to arrange for an alternative method of transmission. USTR 
will not accept hand-delivered submissions.
    General information concerning USTR is available at https://www.ustr.gov.

V. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions

    If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must 
certify that the information is business confidential and you would not 
customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted 
electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business 
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must 
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' on 
the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must 
submit a public version that will be placed in the docket for public 
inspection. The file name of the public version should begin with the 
character `P.' Follow the `BCI' and `P' with the name of the person or 
entity submitting the comments.

VI. Public Viewing of Review Submissions

    USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public 
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view comments on 
Regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR-2024-0015 in the search 
field on the home page.

Laura Buffo,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2024-19694 Filed 8-30-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F4-P
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