[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15603-15604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06561]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 9493]


Notice of U.S. Administration Role Concerning U.S. Sector Members 
at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

SUMMARY: The Department of State informs all existing and prospective

[[Page 15604]]

U.S. Sector Members of the ITU that the Department of State serves as 
the ITU membership approval authority for U.S. entities and reminds 
U.S. Sector Members and prospective members of their responsibilities 
for paying their membership fees and keeping their accounts current.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Franz Zichy at 202-647-
5778, [email protected] and Lynnette Jackson at 202-647-8344, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ITU was founded in 1865 as the 
International Telegraph Union. Its current name was adopted in 1934 and 
it became a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), now 
responsible for information and communication technologies (ICT's) in 
1947. Its purpose is to coordinate international telecommunication 
issues. ITU currently has 193 member states and more than 700 Sector 
Members, including many U.S. businesses and academic institutions.
    The Office of International Communications and Information Policy 
(CIP), Multilateral Affairs (MA) in the Bureau of Economic and Business 
(EB) Affairs, U.S. Department of State, approves U.S. Sector 
Memberships for the ITU, and partners with the ITU in managing U.S. 
Sector Membership arrears accounts. ITU Sector Members represent a 
cross-section of the global ICT sector, from the world's largest 
manufacturers and carriers to small, innovative players working with 
new and developing technologies, and academia. Founded on the principle 
of international cooperation between governments (Member States) and 
the private sector (Sector Members, Associates and Academia), the ITU 
is a global forum through which parties can work towards consensus on a 
wide range of issues affecting the ICT industry's future direction.
    The ITU has three sectors--ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), 
ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), and ITU 
Development Sector (ITU-D). It also has two types of sector 
memberships--one for corporate entities and regional or international 
organizations and one for academia, university and research 
establishments. Sector members from corporate entities and regional or 
international organizations may join as a member of an entire sector 
(e.g., the ITU-R) or as an associate of a particular Study Group within 
a sector. Corporate entities with the interest of operating as 
Recognized Operating Agencies (ROA) are required to apply for such 
status and may only identify as an ROA if so approved by the Federal 
Communications Commission.
    Membership fees are paid in contributory units, and Member States, 
Sector Members, Associates, and Academia may choose their annual 
contributory amounts according to the quantities listed below. Full 
Sector Members are entitled to participate in all of the Study Groups, 
while organizations with specific focus can participate in the work of 
a single study group as an Associate. Academia, universities and their 
associated research establishments benefit from preferential rates, as 
do Sector Members from some developing countries.
    Sector membership is automatically renewed unless the member 
notifies the ITU that it is renouncing its membership. Since 
renunciation does not take effect until six months following official 
notification, sector members will owe fees up until the official date 
of renunciation.

Minimum Annual Contributory Amounts

Standardization/Radiocommunication Sectors

Sector Members: 31,800 CHF per Sector
Associates: 10,600 CHF
Academia and research establishments: 3,975 CHF

Development Sector

Members: 7,950 CHF
Associates: 3,975 CHF
Academia and research establishments: 3,975 CHF

    Additional information on types of memberships and details on 
membership participation can be accessed on the ITU Web site as 
follows: https://www.itu.int/en/join/Pages/default.aspx.

    Dated: March 11, 2016.
Julie N. Zoller,
Senior Deputy Coordinator, International Communications and Information 
Policy, U.S. State Department.
[FR Doc. 2016-06561 Filed 3-22-16; 8:45 am]
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