ITDS PLANS FOR PILOT PHASE

   The developers of the U.S. government’s International Trade Data System say they’re ready to go ahead with a pilot of the system by April 2000.
   The ITDS is designed to operate as a switchboard to distribute shipment information to any of more than 100 government agencies.
   ITDS has been in development for the past two years. The multi-agency link promises to change the way import and export data is processed with the government.
   The pilot program will be conducted at the land-border ports of Detroit, Buffalo, N.Y. and Laredo, Texas. It will involve the use of new transponder technology, and participants will be able to file their shipment information in common data formats, such as Customs’ Automated Broker Interface and EDIFACT. ITDS developers say there should be no additional burden to industry.
   In recent months, ITDS has been bogged down in political controversy. The Treasury Department, which heads the ITDS initiative, has proposed to give Customs the responsibility to develop the system. However, the ITDS board is expected to still have an oversight role in the system’s development.
   Deputy Assistant of Treasury John P. Simpson also resigned as chairman of the ITDS board. His successor is Eugene Rosengarden, director of the International Trade Commission’s Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements.
   "The controversy over ITDS is immaterial as far as we’re concerned,"
said William L. Nolle, international trade specialist with ITDS. "It’s
going to be done."