Page 139 - Communication Commerce and Power The Political Economy of America and the Direct Broadcast Satellite

128 Communication, Commerce and Power

on Communications. Hearings on 'The International Telecommunica-
tions Act of 1983'. 98th Cong., 1st sess., 10 and 11 May 1983, p. 122.
42 Spero, 'Information: The Policy Void,' pp. 150---1. At a 1983 Congres-
sional hearing, Phillip C. Onstead, a representative of Control Data
Corporation agreed with Spero, adding that 'there is ... very little under-
standing [among American state officials] of the critical but increasing
importance of the availability of unrestricted state-of-the-art telecom-
munications to the future of our nation and to achieving such national
goals as improving foreign trade and also national security.' Onstead in
Hearings on 'The International Telecommunications Act of 1983,' p.
179.
43 Drake and Nicolaidis, 'Ideas, Interests, and Institutionalization,' Inter-
national Organization, p. 49.
44 Sauvant, International Transactions in Services, p. 199. For an example
of how some US corporations sought to convince foreign companies
and governments that free flow constituted a universal economic good,
see article by American Express Senior Vice President Harry L. Free-
man, 'Impeding the Flow of Information Damages National Interests,'
Transnational Data Report, VI (1) (January-February 1983) 19. Geza
Feketekuty, while Counsellor to the USTR in 1985, wrote that

All segments of the American business community have identified
international data flows as one of the top priorities for a new round
of trade negotiations. In fact, it is one of the few issues, along with the
importance of intellectual property, on which there was common
agreement.-Feketekuty, quoted from his 'The Telecommunications
and Services Market Worldwide: A US View' (unpublished mimeo:
USTR, 1985) p. 10.

Feketekuty is generally considered to have been 'the most visible, pro-
lific, and influential analyst at the time. His activism in Congressional
hearings, efforts in organizing interagency and business coalitions, and
writing and speaking activities have led some to regard him as the
"father of trade in services.'' ' Moreover, due to the general absence of
knowledge regarding service trade issues, Feketekuty's analyses, despite
his affiliation with the USTR, were well respected by many foreign
officials. See Drake and Nicolaidis, 'Ideas, Interests, and Institutionali-
zation,' p. 50 and fn.21.
45 Department of Commerce, 'Long Range Goals in International Tele-
communications and Information,' pp. 20---1.
46 The report also recommended 'the integration of telecommunications
and information services into the overall US trade effort, by identifying
the barriers encountered by US suppliers and users of such services
abroad and vigorously seeking their reduction.' Ibid., p. 21.
47 Ibid., p. 22.
48 Jane Bortnick, 'International Telecommunications and Information
Policy: Selected Issues for the 1980s.' Report prepared for the US
Senate, Committee on Foreign Affairs (unpublished: 1983) p. 16.