Richard Shelby: “today I am introducing legislation to bring some common sense to the controls governing the export of telecommunications…”

“today I am introducing legislation to bring some common sense to the controls governing the export of telecommunications equipment. It is time for our system of export controls to acknowledge the New World Order. Cocom, the Coordinating Committee on Multilateral Export Controls, is dissolving, to be replaced with a regime of multilateral controls, whose strength will be subject to national discretion. Cocom is disbanding because its members are no longer willing to abide by controls that were developed during the cold war. The dissolution of Cocom raises serious questions about the future effectiveness of a multilateral control system. However, one thing is certain. Any accord reached on export controls will dramatically reduce the quantity and categories of restricted items. This is the direction in which our trading partners are moving. In order to ensure that U.S. companies maintain their ability to compete in these new markets, we must take steps to reduce unnecessary export restrictions. One sector in which tight controls are no longer necessary and are in fact counterproductive is telecommunications. Telephones, fax machines, and computer links facilitate the exchange of ideas and information. Free communication makes political repression more difficult and fosters the movement toward democracy.”