Senate Approves Russia Trade Measure With Internet Censorship Provisions
12/6/2012
The Computer & Communications Industry Association
welcomes Senate passage today of legislation extending permanent normal trade
relations to the Russian Federation by a vote of 92-4. The bill combines
the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, addressing the issues of
human rights violations and corruption in Russia, with legislation removing
application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia. Companies facing
trade barriers due to Internet filtering and blocking are cheering a provision
requiring that the United States Trade Representative to report annually on
Russian discrimination against U.S. digital trade.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO
Ed Black:
“The strong bipartisan vote in the Senate, coming on top of
the strong vote in the House, shows that both houses of Congress can come
together to address the thorny issues of trade and human rights.
“CCIA has long advocated the recognition of Internet
censorship as both a human rights issue and a trade barrier issue. The
USTR reporting requirement on barriers to digital trade in Russia constitutes
legislative recognition of the importance of digital trade and the significance
of new trade barriers in a digital global economy. It is a good first
step toward building in better provisions to discourage Internet censorship as
part of our future trade relations.
“This vote comes amid
serious concerns regarding Russian policies on Internet filtering and
blacklisting enacted in recent months. Internet censorship will need to
be addressed as part of our continued vigilance on Russia’s human rights
violations.”
