The European Commission and U.S. government agreed on 10 information and...

The European Commission and U.S. government agreed on 10 information and communication technology services trade principles, the EC said Monday. The pact requires them to promote the principles globally to open up ICT networks and services and allow service providers to vie for contracts with local incumbents on an equal footing, it said. The principles are: (1) Transparent rules for trade in ICT and ICT services. (2) Open networks for consumers to use for distributing information, applications and services of their choice. (3) Cross-border information flow. (4) No requirement to use local infrastructure for ICT services. (5) Encouraging governments to allow full foreign participation in their ICT services sector. (6) Efficient spectrum use. (7) Independent regulators overseeing ICT services. (8) Simple authorization of competition telecom services. (9) ICT suppliers to have the right to interconnect with other service providers to access publicly available networks and services. (10) International cooperation to try to increase digital literacy in third-world countries to reduce the digital divide. The trade agreement won’t affect EU or U.S. rights to retain their respective policy approaches to intellectual property protection, privacy and personal data and the enhancement of cultural diversity, the EC said. They also don’t change the parties’ rights and obligations under the World Trade Organization or General Agreement on Trade in Services, it said. The agreement was made under the aegis of the Transatlantic Economic Council, it said.