[Federal Register: July 7, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 129)]
[Notices]
[Page 40241-40242]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07jy03-49]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Proposed Data Sharing Activity
AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice and request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) proposes to provide to
the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) data collected from the
Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States--
1997 and the Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad--1999
for statistical purposes exclusively. In accordance with the
requirement of Section 524(d) of the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), we are
providing the opportunity for public comment on this data-sharing
action. Through the use of these shared data, the Census Bureau will
augment its existing research and development (R&D)-related data
collected in the Survey of Industrial Research and Development, which
is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Census Bureau
will also identify data quality issues arising from reporting
differences in the BEA and Census Bureau surveys and improve its survey
sample frames. The NSF will be provided non-confidential aggregate data
(public use) and reports that have cleared BEA and Census Bureau
disclosure review. Disclosure review is a process conducted to verify
that the data to be released do not reveal any confidential
information.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before September 5,
2003.
ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program
to the Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BE-1), Washington, DC
20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on
this proposed program should be directed to Ned Howenstine, Chief,
Research Branch, International Investment Division, Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BE-50), Washington, DC 20230, by phone on (202) 606-9845 or
by fax (202) 606-5318.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
CIPSEA (Pub. L. 107-347, Title V) and the International Investment
and Trade in Services Survey Act (Pub. L. 94-472, 22 United States Code
(U.S.C.) 3101-3108) allow BEA and the Census Bureau to share certain
business data for exclusively statistical purposes. Section 524(d) of
the CIPSEA requires a Federal Register notice announcing the intent to
share data (allowing 60 days for public comment).
Section 524(d) also requires us to provide information about the
terms of the agreement for data sharing. For purposes of this notice,
BEA has decided to group these terms by three categories. The
categories are:
[sbull] Shared data.
[sbull] Statistical purposes for the shared data.
[sbull] Data access and confidentiality.
Shared Data
BEA proposes to provide the Census Bureau with data collected from
the Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United
States--1997 and the Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment
Abroad--1999. The agreement also calls for the Census Bureau to share
data collected from the 1997 and 1999 Surveys of Industrial Research
and Development with BEA. A separate notice (68 FR 33094, June 3, 2003)
addresses this issue.
BEA will provide the Census Bureau with only those data items
necessary to link records from the two benchmark surveys with records
from the Census Bureau's Surveys of Industrial Research and
Development. The Census Bureau will use these data for statistical
purposes exclusively. Through record linkage, the Census Bureau will
augment its existing R&D-related data, identify data quality issues
arising from reporting differences in the Census Bureau and BEA
surveys, and improve its survey sample frames.
Statistical Purposes for the Shared Data
The data collected from the Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct
Investment in the United States--1997 and the Benchmark Survey of U.S.
Direct Investment Abroad--1999 are used to estimate expenditures on
research and development performed by U.S. affiliates of foreign
companies, foreign affiliates of U.S. companies, and the foreign
affiliates' U.S. parent companies, R&D employment, and other statistics
on the financial structure and operations of these companies.
Statistics from the Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in
the United States--1997 were published in Foreign Direct Investment in
the United States: Final Results From the 1997 Benchmark Survey;
statistics from the Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad--
1999 will be published in U.S.
[[Page 40242]]
Direct Investment Abroad: Final Results From the 1999 Benchmark Survey
(forthcoming). All data are collected under sections 3101-3108, of
Title 22 U.S.C.
Data Access and Confidentiality
Title 22, U.S.C. 3104 protects the confidentiality of these data.
The data may be seen only by persons sworn to uphold the
confidentiality of the information. Access to the shared data will be
restricted to specifically authorized personnel and will be provided
for statistical purposes only. Any results of this research are subject
to BEA disclosure protection. All Census Bureau employees with access
to these data will become BEA Special Sworn Employees--meaning that
they, under penalty of law, must uphold the data's confidentiality.
Selected NSF employees will provide BEA with expertise on the aspects
of R&D performance in the United States and by U.S. companies abroad;
these NSF consultants assisting with the work at the BEA also will
become BEA Special Sworn Employees. No confidential data will be
provided to the NSF. To further safeguard the confidentiality of the
data, BEA will conduct an Information Technology security review of the
Census Bureau prior to the commencement of the project. Any results of
this research are subject to BEA disclosure protection.
Dated: June 26, 2003.
J. Steven Landefeld,
Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
[FR Doc. 03-17097 Filed 7-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P