USTA Pres. Walter McCormick urged U.S. Trade Representative (USTR...
USTA Pres. Walter McCormick urged U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) not to export U.S. telecom regulations to other countries. McCormick made statement in USTR hearing on negotiations on Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). “The telecommunications sector of our…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
economy is in a tailspin and the policies that have put telecommunications in critical condition are the policies that USTR wants to export to America’s trading partners,” McCormick said. “The policies that USTR is promoting are deflationary, they stifle investment and have led to massive job loss. USTR must avoid advocating regulatory obligations imposed by trade agreements that would undermine foreign investment incentives.” McCormick recommended that USTR promote broad principles, including transparency, nondiscrimination, establishment of independent regulatory agencies, fair allocation of scare resources. He said FTAA shouldn’t force U.S. trading partners to accept “highly prescriptive regulations.” “We urge the Administration to avoid exporting U.S. telecommunications policies that are ill-suited for the advent of digital and broadband communications, or that would inadvertently discourage greatly needed investment in telecommunications markets worldwide.”