ITC launches digital trade investigations  

January 9: The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) today announced that it has launched the first of two investigations concerning the role of digital trade in the U.S. and global economies.

According to the ITC release, “digital trade" encompasses commerce with respect to products and services delivered over digital networks—e.g., software, digital media files, e-books, digital audio files, data processing, and hosting.


The ITC report will also examine how other industries, such as financial services and retailing, make use of digital products and services for production and trade.


The investigations were requested by the Senate Finance Committee. Following the completion of its investigations, the ITC will deliver two reports to Finance.


The first report (expected in July 2013) will:


  • Describe U.S. digital trade in the context of the broader economy
  • Examine cross-border digital trade and its relationship to other cross-border transactions (e.g., foreign direct investment)
  • Describe notable barriers and impediments to digital trade
  • Outline potential approaches for assessing the linkages and contributions of digital trade to the U.S. economy, noting any challenges associated with data gaps and limitations

The second report (expected by July 2014) will:


  • Estimate the value of U.S. digital trade and the potential growth of this trade
  • Examine the broader linkages and contributions of digital trade to the U.S. economy
  • Present case studies that examine the importance of digital trade to selected U.S. industries that use or produce such goods and services
  • Examine the effect of notable barriers to digital trade on selected industries and the broader U.S. economy

A public hearing in connection with these investigations is scheduled for March 7, 2013.




For more information, contact a professional with KPMG’s Trade & Customs practice:


Douglas Zuvich

(312) 665-1022


Andrew Siciliano

(631) 425-6057


John L. McLoughlin

(267) 256-2614


Todd R. Smith

(949) 885-5617


Luis A. Abad

(212) 954-3094


Amie Ahanchian

(202) 533-3247


Or your local KPMG Trade & Customs professional.




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