Fallout from ex-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s disclosures on U.S. surveillance is among the top trade-related questions that loom over this year, said Myron Brilliant, head of international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Snowden’s leaks that allegedly reveal extensive NSA communications surveillance globally are encouraging governments to limit the free movement of digital information across international borders with the potential to hamper global commerce, said Brilliant in a blog post Monday (http://uscham.com/1ksdBg4). “It’s a mistake to conflate alleged espionage by governments with how companies in different sectors rely on cross-border data flows,” said Brilliant. “Companies of every size, sector, and country have come to rely on the ability to move data across borders to create valuable products and services, enhance productivity, combat fraud, protect consumers, innovate, and create jobs. In fact, digital trade is just one more way for American businesses to reach the 95 percent of the world’s consumers located outside of U.S. borders."

Cybersecurity, rollout of high-speed broadband networks and e-identification services top the list of telecom priorities for the Greek EU Presidency, whose six-month term began Jan. 1, Greece said in a work program. Greece will push to promote measures needed to establish a single digital market, it said. It will promote European Commission plans for cross-border and cross-sector laws that enable safe, reliable and user-friendly electronic transactions, and measures to cut the costs of deploying high-speed networks, it said. It also plans to work on ensuring a high level of network and information security across the EU, it said. The Greek government will “strive to promote” the EC proposal for a single telecom market, it said. Its program also includes work on making public entities’ websites accessible, and reviewing Europe’s digital agenda, it said. The presidency will help define the EU position for the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference, it said. On satellite issues, it will stress international relations and common minimum standards on rules for access to the public regulated service provided by the global navigation satellite system, it said. On digital content issues, the presidency aims to finalize procedures required for approval of legislation on collective rights management before European Parliament elections in May, said Maria Sinanidou, communications officer for copyright issues. It will also look at the future of copyright and the digital agenda, with a June 6 conference in Athens on current rules and future challenges, she said. Participants will consider how to make content accessible in a digital single market; how to deal with limitations and exceptions to copyright in the digital age and enforcement on the Internet; and future policy recommendations, the conference program said.

NII Holdings, which offers service under the Nextel brand in Mexico and South America, is gaining traction in Brazil, BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk said Tuesday in a research note. “Monthly 3G net additions rose 65 percent sequentially in November to 38,000, likely from the launch of additional neighborhoods in Sao Paulo during the month,” Piecyk wrote. “Investors are hoping that 3G net additions will continue to rise for NIHD as its network expands and marketing efforts kick in. The 3G customers that NII is adding in Brazil also likely carry a higher ARPU [average revenue per user] that could help moderate the mid-teen decline in ARPU driven by price-cuts on its legacy business aimed at lowering churn."