Internet Industry Coalitions Request Strong Digital Trade Provisions

Along with 6 signees and partners, the i2Coalition has presented a letter to United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Froman, asking him to refrain from concluding negotiations on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) without making substantial progress in five issues in the e-commerce chapter critical to Internet businesses.

TiSA is a proposed agreement currently in discussion between 23 parties, including 50 countries. The agreement would remove many of the restrictions on trade services internationally. TiSA represents a unique opportunity to promote cross-border trade in digital services and encourages the free flow of information between TiSA’s twenty-three dynamic economies.

“As a key driver of our economy, Internet issues should receive a thoughtful, complete, and transparent discussion in the TiSA negotiations. In an environment where trade treaty negotiations are subject to intense scrutiny, concrete, measurable progress on issues critical to the Internet is required,” said David Snead, i2Coalition Chairman of Board of Directors, Policy Working Group Chair, and cPanel General Counsel.

Signees on the letter include the Internet Association, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Information Technology Industry Council, The Software Alliance, Consumer Technology Association, The App Association, and Consumer Technology Association.

The letter can be found here.