Where Industry and Security Intersect
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Washington, DC -- The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export Administration issued a rule easing export controls on oscilloscopes and certain transient recorders. The regulation, effective today, implements the multilateral agreement reached in May of this year by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to remove oscilloscopes from the list of items controlled for "Nuclear-Related Dual-Use."
This regulation, published in the Federal Register, eliminates license requirements for U.S. exports of oscilloscopes to most countries but retains unilateral controls on oscilloscope exports to certain countries of concern determined to be supporting terrorism. It also greatly reduces the licensing burden for U.S. manufacturers. Further, the new rule substantially reduces the paperwork burden on the public by decreasing by over 11 percent the number of license applications filed with BXA by exporters and reexporters.
U.S. manufacturers hold over 70 percent of the world market share for oscilloscopes. The international market for oscilloscopes is estimated at $50 million to $100 million per year, with most of the manufacturing done in the United States. Oscilloscopes are used in the measuring and testing of telecommunications, computers and other consumer electronic equipment repair and maintenance. Worldwide demand for oscilloscopes has increased substantially with the advent of mass-produced, relatively inexpensive digital oscilloscopes.
The liberalization of export controls for these measuring devises is also reflected by changes, effective today, in the European Community Export Control List. The United States reached agreement with other oscilloscope producing nations of the NSG (the UK and Switzerland) that they will, based on each nation's determination, continue to control exports of oscilloscopes to countries of concern. The rule also creates a new Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) to continue controls on the technology to develop, produce and use oscilloscopes and specially designed components to nuclear countries of concern and designated terrorism-supporting countries.
In April of 2002 the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) changed its name to the Bureau of Industry and Security(BIS). For historical purposes we have not changed the references to BXA in the legacy documents found in the Archived Press and Public Information.