WASHINGTON. — October 17, 2016 — BSA | The Software Alliance, together with other technology associations, urges the U.S. Trade Representative to ensure that the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) currently under negotiation contains strong digital trade provisions. In a joint letter, the associations call for the agreement to include provisions that guarantee free flows of data across borders and prohibit data localization requirements, at a level of protection at least equivalent to that established in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The letter also emphasizes the importance of extending the agreement’s benefits to new services.

The other signatories to the letter are ACT | The App Association, Computer and Communications Industry Association, Consumer Technology Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Internet Association, and the Internet Infrastructure Coalition.

TISA negotiations are taking place in Geneva among twenty-two countries, including the United States, as well as the European Union. The Administration seeks to complete the agreement this year. It would reduce tariffs and other regulatory barriers affecting trade in services, going beyond the provisions of the World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in Services.