Tech groups cheered Senate passage Thursday of permanent normal trade...

Tech groups cheered Senate passage Thursday of permanent normal trade relations with the Russian Federation through a House-approved bill (HR-6156) that also addresses Internet filtering, blocking, corruption and human rights. The U.S. Trade Representative will report yearly on “Russian discrimination against U.S. digital trade,” the Computer and Communications Industry Association said Thursday. Online censorship is “both a human rights issue and a trade barrier issue,” CCIA President Ed Black said: The USTR provision is a “good first step toward building in better provisions to discourage” censorship in trade relations. Russia is one of the largest importers of information and communications technology and an important market for U.S. companies, said Kevin Richards, TechAmerica senior vice president-federal government affairs: “The U.S. technology industry can realize the full benefits of Russia’s WTO membership, ensuring a level playing field in the ninth largest economy in the world."