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Clinton administration statement on electronic commerce
``` [The home page is at http://www.iitf.nist.gov/electronic_commerce.htm I've enclosed the executive summary.]
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[http://www.iitf.nist.gov/eleccomm/exec_sum.htm]
A FRAMEWORK FOR GLOBAL ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
* The Clinton Administration has developed a draft policy for Global Electronic Commerce. An interagency working group on Electronic Commerce1 chaired by Ira C. Magaziner, Senior Advisor to the President for Policy Development, has been meeting for eight months, analyzing the issues and consulting with academics, business representatives, consumer groups, and members of the Internet community in order to prepare the paper.* The current draft is available for public comment (gii@a1.eop.gov) and will be revised based on suggestions that are offered. The initial comment period will last until January 23, 1997. A final version of the paper should be available early next year.* The Framework for Global Electronic Commerce is an important element of the Administration's agenda on trade and technology as it discusses the commercial implications of the Global Information Infrastructure (GII). It lays out the principles which should support policy development, articulates a number of policies, and outlines a road map for discussions with our international trading partners to ensure the development of a free and open global electronic marketplace.* In recent years, the Internet has blossomed into an appliance of every day life, an informational medium accessible from almost every point on the planet. Over the next decade, it will produce profound changes in the prevailing economic order, with the potential to benefit the citizens of all nations.* Nowhere is this potential more evident than in the global trade in services, including software, entertainment and information products and professional services, which now accounts for well over $40 billion of U.S. exports alone. Electronic commerce has the potential to revolutionize trade in this area and others by lowering transaction costs dramatically and facilitating new types of commercial transactions.* Many businesses and consumers are still wary of conducting extensive business in cyberspace because of the lack of a predictable legal environment governing transactions and resulting concerns about contract enforcement, intellectual property protection, liability, privacy, security, and other matters.* Another concern of Internet users is the possibility that governments will impose disparate and extensive regulations on the Internet in areas such as taxes and duties, content restrictions, and standards.* The Clinton Administration firmly believes that all parties can gain from a non-regulatory, market-oriented approach to electronic commerce. By acknowledging the unique characteristics of the Internet and avoiding undue restrictions, governments can take advantage of a historic opportunity and contribute to the growth of electronic commerce worldwide.* The Administration believes that widespread competition and increased consumer participation in marketplace choices, not government regulation, should be the defining features of the new digital age.
Major policy recommendations include:
* Fostering the Internet as a Non-Regulatory, Market-Driven Medium + Establishing cyberspace as a duty-free zone+ Advocating for no new taxes on the Internet+ Allowing electronic payment systems to evolve withoutpremature government involvement + Encouraging industry self regulation where appropriate+ Enabling market forces to drive the development oftechnical standards* Ensuring a Transparent and Harmonized Global Legal Environment + Creating a 'Uniform Commercial Code' for cyberspace+ Protecting intellectual property on-line+ Partnering with industry to safeguard security in theelectronic marketplace* Allowing Competition and Consumer Choice to Shape the Marketplace + Maintaining privacy and the integrity of personalinformation + Fostering fair competition and striving forinteroperability among national telecommunications systems + Empowering consumers to manage questions of content+ Opposing non-tariff barriers which limit free tradeacross the Internet, such as content restrictions, discriminatory telecommunications regulations, standards requirements, or anti-competitive compulsory licensing requirements
1 The interagency working group consists of high-level representatives of several cabinet agencies, including the Departments of Treasury, State, Justice and Commerce, as well as the Executive Office of the President, including the Council of Economic Advisors, the National Economic Council, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of the Vice-President, and the U.S. Trade Representative. Independent commissions including the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission also have been involved. ```
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