TIA praised the U.S. Senate for its decisive action in approving H.R. 3688, The United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) Implementation Act, by a vote of 77-18 this week. The bill will implement a trade agreement, first signed in April 2006 and revised this past May, which greatly reduces unfair impediments to entry into the Peruvian market. TIA has long advocated approval of the U.S.-Peru TPA, as well the three other completed U.S. trade agreements – with Panama, Colombia and South Korea.

The TPA will benefit TIA member companies, as well as the broader U.S. economy. Currently, the U.S. market is wide open to Peruvian products, while U.S. goods face tariffs as high as 25 percent in Peru. Under the agreement, tariffs on U.S. information and communication technology (ICT) equipment will be eliminated, and U.S. exports to Peru are expected to increase. TIA members will benefit from reductions in non-tariff barriers, including improvements in intellectual property rights protection and facilitated customs processing. The U.S.-Peru trade agreement, together with the other completed trade agreements, would contribute to continued growth for the U.S. ICT sector. Accordingly, TIA urges Congress to approve the trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea as soon as possible.

“Tariff elimination is a key element in fueling demand for U.S. high tech products in Peru, where growth of wireless and broadband is in double digits” said TIA President Grant Seiffert.  “Looking ahead, we anticipate significant growth opportunities in overseas markets, where over 72 percent of our industry’s revenues are generated,” he added. “Approving all pending trade agreements will demonstrate a strong U.S. commitment to a fairer, more open global economy.”

For more information on TIA's free trade advocacy please contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org.

< Back to Top >

TIA Director of International and Government Affairs Michael Nunes took part in a panel discussion on U.S-Korea high tech trade partnerships as part of a delegation of high-ranking Korean trade and technology officials this week, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-Korea Business Council in cooperation with the Korea Industrial Technology Foundation (KOTEF).

Nunes spoke Tuesday with moderator Robert C. Reis, Executive Vice President, U.S.-Korea Business Council, and fellow panelists Kyeong-hak Seo, Senior Vice President, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and Yeong-chul Seok, Senior Research Fellow, Korea Industrial Technology Foundation. They discussed opportunities in high-tech and electronics trade between the two countries, which currently have a trade agreement pending in the U.S. Senate.

Following the meeting, TIA announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding/friendship agreement between KOTEF and TIA, attended by the Korean Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Energy, Mr. Kim Young-ju. The agreement is a first step in what TIA hopes will be series of cooperative programs between the two organizations; the first official program took place on December 5 at TIA headquarters in Arlington, Va., and was designed to help Korean regional innovation officers facilitate cooperation and the exchange of technology and human resources and develop international joint research projects by conducting research on the present status of U.S. industrial technology development. The groups also hope to build personnel networks and channels between Korean and American business entities and government bodies.

For more information on TIA's U.S.-Korea trade efforts contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org or Tyler Messa at tmessa@tiaonline.org.

< Back to Top >

The featured guest of TIA’s final Broadband and Technology luncheon of 2007 will be Senator John Sununu (R-N.H.). Senator Sununu is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee with vast knowledge and interest in technology and communications issues; New Hampshire boasts one of the highest growth rates in ICT jobs in the United States. Senator Sununu was also one of the strongest proponents for permanently extending the Internet Tax Moratorium, making him a major ally of deployment and consumers nationwide. 

TIA expects this to be a highly informative lunch to finish the year.  Senator Sununu's commentary is sure to provide some insight into the future telecom agenda and possibly some thoughts on the upcoming New Hampshire Presidential Primaries.

The luncheon will be held Thursday, Dec. 13, and is open to TIA member companies.  

For more information on the B&T Luncheon series please contact Tom Shull at tshull@tiaonline.org.

< Back to Top >

TIA is proud to announce its sponsorship of Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc's (TDI) annual holiday party on Friday, December 7 from 6:30-10:00 p.m.. TIA, TDI and other stakeholders will celebrate another year of working together to improve communications access to all consumers. The party will be different from previous years in that TDI will honor two respected members of Congress for their years of hard work supporting the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. 

TDI will honor Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) for their work in this area, and will present a list of other festivities. Harkin is due to receive the first Karen Peltz-Strauss Public Policy Award for his leadership as a legislator for the disabled, and Markey will receive a 25th Anniversary framed painting in recognition of what TDI calls his "many, many years of support for TV closed captioning access."

For more information on the TDI holiday party, p lease contact Patrick Donovan at pdonovan@tiaonline.org.

< Back to Top >

TIA President Grant Seiffert moderated a lunchtime executive panel on regulation, innovation and competitiveness today at GLOBECOM 2007, an Institute of Electrical and Eelectronics Engineers (IEEE) conference, here in Washington, featuring leading policy executives from top communications industry companies. GLOBECOM 2007 marked the 50th anniversary of the annual IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference with an innovation and education-themed expo and symposium this week.

Discussing the top regulatory concerns of the day with Seiffert were Greg Farmer, Senior Vice President, Global Government Relations and International Trade, Nortel; Jake MacLeod, PVP & CTO, Engineering and Technology, Bechtel Communications; and Timothy J. Regan, Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Corning.

The panel discussed the most important legislative or regulatory initiatives currently pending in Washington, the proper role of the government in setting U.S. competitiveness standards, key drivers for innovation and investment, and the tension between cost concerns and long-term research and development needs.

For more information on TIA and its members policy advocacy, please contact Ian Martinez at imartinez@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7723.

< Back to Top >

TIA's policy team continues its international advocacy and coordination efforts through the next few weeks, as activity remains high in several key areas of global interest.   Several events will mark the year's end for TIA's policy team.

TIA will continue to represent the U.S. telecom industry as chair of the telecom subgroup of the U.S.-India ICT Dialogue at a new round of talks December 14 in New Delhi, India.  While several important regulatory issues, including spectrum and licensing matters, remain unresolved, the tenor of the talks will be upbeat after several concensus decisions that have emerged from previous Dialogues.  These include India's decision to increase the ceiling on foreign direct investment in the telecom sector and its resolution of a conflict on remote access rules for repairs from outside India.

The U.S.-India ICT Dialogue was announced by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 18, 2005, during Dr. Singh’s state visit to the United States. The objectives of the ICT Dialogue are to (1) support the goals of the broader U.S.-India Economic Dialogue; (2) facilitate better coordination of bilateral discussions and activities; (3) solicit the support of private-sector stakeholders; and (4) complement the work of the existing High-Technology Cooperation Group and the Cybersecurity Forum.

For more information on TIA's work as chair of the telecom subgroup of the U.S.-India ICT Dialogue, contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7725.

On November 29, TIA will host a delegation of representatives from the Colombian communications industry interested in meeting and working with members of the U.S. vendor community. a U.S. Trade and Development Agency funded trip on U.S. Regulatory Policies and Standards.  The Colombian delegation, which will include Colombian Senator Jorge Pedraza, Vice-Minister of Communications Daniel Medina and representatives from the Colombian TV and telecom sector.

The Colombia event is one part of TIA's broader efforts to improve business and political ties with a valuable and growing ICT market, particularly crafting DTV and 3G standards.  TIA is also committed to seeing that the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement negotiated this year is passed by Congress to benefit manufacturers, workers and consumers in both countries.

Any TIA member companies wishing to meet with the Colombia delegation should contact Tom Shull at tshull@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7014.

< Back to Top >

The FCC issued its second report and order and notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on an amendment to its rules governing hearing aid-compatible (HAC) mobile handsets this week.  TIA is monitoring the NPRM and related filings as part of its broader efforts to make communications technology more accessible to the disabled community. 

The NPRM seeks comment on the proposed rule changes put forth in the recent Joint Consensus Plan, including increasing the number of T3-or-better phones Tier I carriers must make available; requiring manufacturers to offer 33 percent of wireless phones at the M3-or-better level; requiring each manufacturer not subject to the de minimis exception to produce at least two or more T3-or-better handsets; providing Tier I carriers with an alternative to the 50 percent rule for M-rated phones; and the recommendation that service providers and manufacturers report regularly on the availability of products under updated criteria for information submissions.  

It also seeks comment on how to improve in-store testing and the availability of public information regarding HAC handsets; how to improve the quality and usefulness of the information reported in the wireless industry’s compliance reports; enhancements to existing wireless technologies as well as hearing aid labeling and related issues; emerging issues, including those arising from the development of wireless voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) applications and “open platform” networks.  It also proposes a further review of HAC rules in 2010.

The order also stays enforcement of HAC requirements from February 18, 2008, to April 18, 2008.

For more information or to comment on TIA's involvement with this NPRM, please contact Becky Schwartz at rschwartz@tiaonline.org or 703.907.7477.

< Back to Top >