Washington — Today, the U.S. International Trade Commission delivered its long-awaited report to Congress on the projected economic impact of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). CCIA agrees with the ITC’s conclusions that the agreement will likely have a “significant, positive impact” on many U.S. industries that rely on digitally-enabled trade.
The USMCA sets the standard for forward-thinking U.S. trade agreements by including commitments critical to Internet and technology firms. As the report observes, the agreement will benefit U.S. digital services “by ensuring that data flows remain unencumbered, proprietary source codes and algorithms are protected, and intermediary liability protection is provided.” It also includes measures that will be “particularly beneficial to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that rely on the internet to reach foreign customers.”
The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“The update to the 20 year-old North American Free Trade Agreement was much needed and the USMCA is a welcomed step forward in modernizing trade among strong U.S. trading partners and enabling digital trade. With the ITC’s report release, we now look forward to working with Congress to implement this groundbreaking agreement into U.S. law.”