A record 1,713 commercial satellites were launched in 2021, up 40% over 2020, the Satellite Industry Association said Wednesday. Commercial satellite launches were up 20% over 2020, it said. It said space generated $386 billion revenue globally, up 4% over 2020, with commercial satellites generating 72% of that business. It said satellite manufacturing revenue was $13.7 billion, up more than 12% year over year. It said launch revenue was $5.7 billion, up 8%. It said U.S. firms built 87% of commercially procured satellites launched in 2021.
The World Trade Organization must renew the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions (see 2205190049) at the ministerial conference in Geneva next week, said John Neuffer, CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association. In a June 9 SIA blog post, Neuffer said the moratorium is at “serious risk” from some WTO members who are in favor of the increased tax revenue the duties could bring.
The World Trade Organization must renew the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions (see 2205190049) at the ministerial conference in Geneva next week, said John Neuffer, CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association. In a June 9 SIA blog post, Neuffer said the moratorium is at “serious risk” from some WTO members who are in favor of the increased tax revenue the duties could bring.
The U.S. should make export control harmonization a priority as it pursues its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, ensuring that any restrictions are aligned with member countries and not unfairly hampering American companies, U.S. trade groups told the Commerce Department in comments released this week (see 2203140018). The U.S. could even use the IPEF to create a new multilateral export control regime, some groups said, which could specifically focus on semiconductor equipment or other advanced technologies.
Though the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) designates polysilicon as a “high-priority enforcement sector,” the polysilicon produced in Xinjiang, and elsewhere in China, “currently does not meet the extremely high levels of purity required for semiconductor-grade polysilicon,” commented the Semiconductor Industry Association in docket DHS-2022-0001. The comments posted there Friday were in response to a Department of Homeland Security notice in January on how best to comply with UFLPA measures for preventing goods produced with forced labor in China from being imported into the U.S. (see 2203110054).
Though the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) designates polysilicon as a “high-priority enforcement sector,” the polysilicon produced in Xinjiang, and elsewhere in China, “currently does not meet the extremely high levels of purity required for semiconductor-grade polysilicon,” the Semiconductor Industry Association commented in docket DHS-2022-0001. The comments were in response to a DHS notice on how best to comply with UFLPA measures for preventing goods produced with forced labor in China from being imported into the U.S. CBP, under the direction of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), is scheduled to begin enforcing the statute’s “rebuttable presumption” measures June 21.
Rina Pal-Goetzen, a former Commerce Department official, joined the Semiconductor Industry Association as director of global policy, SIA announced March 7. Pal-Goetzen will work with policymakers in the U.S. and abroad, as well as industry, to “advance the association’s international trade policy agenda,” SIA said. Pal-Goetzen previously worked on trade policy at Commerce and served as general counsel for 3D printed microTEC, a California-based 3D printing company.
Rina Pal-Goetzen, a former Commerce Department official, joined the Semiconductor Industry Association as director of global policy, SIA announced March 7. Pal-Goetzen will work with policymakers in the U.S. and abroad, as well as industry, to “advance the association’s international trade policy agenda,” SIA said. Pal-Goetzen previously worked on trade policy at Commerce and served as general counsel for 3D printed microTEC, a California-based 3D printing company.
New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge warned the FCC’s proposed enhanced competition incentive program (ECIP) is likely to have only minimal impact. Comments on a November Further NPRM (see 2111180071) were posted Tuesday in docket 19-38. Other commenters also sought changes to the FCC’s proposed approach, aimed at making more spectrum available for small carriers and tribes.
The U.S. and the European Union should better align their export license exceptions, export controls and policies to avoid “unnecessary friction on trade” between the two sides, particularly surrounding chip equipment, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. The group said American semiconductor companies depend on overseas markets in Europe, and regulatory harmonization could help to “level playing fields with respect to export controls, particularly their scope, application, and enforcement.”