a commitment that electronically delivered products, be they a good or a service, receive

market access and national treatment benefits no less favorable than those currently

available for those products delivered physically,

a commitment to foster the development of new information technologies without burdening

them with traditional telecommunications or other restrictive regulation,

a commitment to refrain from imposing restrictions on connectivity protocols and addressing

conventions, and

a commitment to avoid using standard setting activities to create preferences for local

companies or to create non tariff trade barriers.

II.  Scheduling Commitments to Promote E Commerce

The liberalization of trade in services will expand the e commerce marketplace and in turn drive

substantial new investment in the modernization of essential infrastructures.  It may also impel

changes in regulatory environments to facilitate this expanded economic activity.  Services

liberalization should be pursued to maximize growth in e commerce.

The negotiators should agree to pursue the following approach to the negotiations:

recognize that all scheduled cross border commitments apply to services delivered

electronically including electronic delivery via the Internet;

make unrestricted commitments in complementary services essential to the "infrastructure"

needed to facilitate e commerce transactions, including advertising, business, computer,

telecommunications, distribution, financial, and express delivery services.

expand and deepen basic and value added telecommunications commitments, sign onto the

Reference Paper and accelerate its implementation, as well as strengthen

telecommunications obligations to ensure competitive, non discriminatory access to basic

telecommunication services for Internet service providers and other value added service

providers;  and

the movement of natural persons with information technology skills is also related to the

continued growth of electronic commerce. Countries should be encouraged to increase

commitments and eliminate exceptions to the movement of personnel.

III. Technology

Countries should also ensure that barriers are not created for the transborder use of the

following technology, in the form of hardware, software, technical data and know how:

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