Telecom Industry Tells USTR of Concerns about Brazil, China, India

October 15, 2012 by Mike Feazel|USTR

The Telecommunications Industry Association is "concerned about Brazilian regulator Anatel not accepting test data generated outside of Brazil, except in those cases where the equipment is too physically large and/or costly to transport," it said in comments filed with the U.S. Trade Representative on its Foreign Trade Barriers report.

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TIA said Anatel requires that virtually all testing for IT/Telecom equipment be physically done in Brazil, which "limits TIA members' ability to flexibly and cost effectively service customers, creating unnecessary barriers in terms of certification time and increased cost." It said the U.S. and Brazil should negotiate a Mutual Recognition Agreement under the CITEL framework to reduce technical barriers to trade between the two countries.

For other countries, TIA said:

Costa Rica's telecommunications regulator has reduced costs and streamlined procedures for retesting and certification, but the procedure remains "burdensome, unique to Costa Rica, and is not required by any other regulator worldwide."
While U.S. exports of information and communications technologies to China are increasing, TIA remains concerned about lack of progress in several key areas, including its desire to foster domestic innovation. It also said China's type approval process "is significantly more burdensome than in other markets."
India "has undertaken a number of policy initiatives to open the market," but "areas of concern remain," including its limits on strong encryption.

TIA also expressed concerns about Argentina's non-automatic import licenses and pre-approval requirements, in separate comments on the 2012 National Trade Estimate.