WASHINGTON – May 11, 2017 – BSA | The Software Alliance praises the confirmation of Robert Lighthizer as United States Trade Representative (USTR). During his confirmation hearing, Lighthizer affirmed as part of his trade agenda that “it is essential to moving forward that we have free flow of data, and that you can store the data where it makes sense economically.”

BSA is encouraged by Lighthizer’s recognition of the importance of cross-border data flows and digital trade rules. Data is critical to the global economy – in the US alone, the software that powers the data economy contributes $1 trillion to the GDP, supports almost 10 million jobs, and generates $52 billion in R&D investments. Transferring data across borders allows US companies to provide the best products and services to their customers and drives American innovation, but there are no international rules that protect this capability. The US should be a leader in creating the framework for these rules. BSA looks forward to working with Lighthizer and USTR to add digital trade provisions into upcoming US trade agreements in order to secure US economic and job growth.