I want to thank Lee Hamilton very much for inviting me to speak with you today, on this most interesting of subjects.



Our topic today is by no means a simple one. Electronic commerce, and the broader consequences of the development of information technologies, telecommunications and the Internet, are in their infancy. They are developing with great speed and unpredictable consequences, and are already forcing governments to think differently about many issues.



Today, I will outline for you first the implications we see in these early years of electronic commerce for trade and U.S. interests; and then turning to the policy framework we have developed in response.



Charlene Barchefsky