Memorandum for the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations on the American Television Industry

Memorandum for The Special Representative for Trade Negotiations

Subject: Import Relief Determination Under Section 202(b) of the Trade Act of 1974: Television Receivers

DECISION MEMORANDUM ON TELEVISION RECEIVERS

Pursuant to Section 202(b)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618), I have determined the actions I will take with respect to the report of the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) dated March 22, 1977, concerning television receivers, color and monochrome, assembled or not assembled, finished or not finished, and subassemblies thereof. In that report the Commission determined that color television receivers, assembled or not assembled, finished or not finished, provided for in item 685.20 of the TSUS are being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry producing articles like or directly competitive with the imported articles. Three Commissioners found injury in both the color and monochrome television industries.

Pursuant to Section 330(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, the President may accept, in the case of an evenly divided USITC vote on an injury determination, the determination of either set of Commissioners on the question of injury. I have decided to accept the determination of those three Commissioners who voted that the domestic monochrome television industry has not been seriously injured or threatened with serious injury by increased imports. Import relief is therefore not authorized for this industry under section 203 of the Trade Act of 1974. I have, however, decided to accept the determination of those three Commissioners who voted that the domestic industry producing subassemblies of color television receivers has been seriously injured by increased imports.

Pursuant to section 202(b) (1) of the Trade Act, I have determined to provide import relief to the television industry producing color television receivers, assembled or not assembled, finished or not finished and subassemblies thereof provided for in item 685.20 of the TSUS.

I am, therefore, directing you to negotiate and conclude all orderly marketing agreement with the Government of Japan, the major supplying country, to resolve the immediate problems of our domestic color television industry for a three-year period which will provide the domestic industry time to remedy the injury found to exist.

This determination is to be published in the FEDERAL REGISTER.

JIMMY CARTER