Telecommunications Services Trade and the WTO Agreement

Publication Date: December 2002

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Media, telecommunications, and information

Type:

Abstract:

World telecommunications services trade is growing and evolving very rapidly, appearing to corroborate expectations that the 1997 international agreement to liberalize trade in basic telecommunications services would greatly increase world trade in those services. While the agreement, under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO), faces many obstacles to full effectiveness, it is expected to benefit the highly competitive U.S. telecommunications industries and facilitate world economic growth. Congress, as always, is concerned that trading partners adhere to their commitments. Essentially no bills in the 107th Congress were directly related to this issue, however. This report will be updated as events warrant.