CBP is working with a contractor to address technical issues that caused system latency and performance deterioration during the Oct. 25 customs broker exam, it said. “Long term system remediation is underway,” it said. “CBP is currently identifying and evaluating potential options for the October 2017 test examinees impacted by the system issues. CBP will be communicating the plan forward fairly soon once the necessary capabilities and resources have been confirmed,” it said. The October exam, the first to be administered electronically, was beset by system freezes and frequent interruptions (see 1711060023).
CBP will look into reports of problems with the Oct. 25 electronic customs broker licensing exam, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in a Nov. 6 email to members. The agency told the NCBFAA it plans to investigate in response to a slew of complaints about the test. That exam marked the first time the test was administered electronically (see 1709130030). "While we are confident that CBP will thoroughly investigate this matter and identify the root cause of the systems issue, the NCBFAA is working with CBP to identify and implement appropriate remedial actions on an expedited basis," the NCBFAA said.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in a Nov. 6 letter to the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees urged renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences prior to its Dec. 31 expiration, saying previous expirations of GSP caused significant economic damage and disruption. “There is longstanding, bipartisan consensus that GSP is a valuable program that should be extended,” NCBFAA wrote. “Congress knows that GSP helps lower the costs of raw materials or component parts for U.S. manufacturers, an important factor in keeping U.S. companies competitive in foreign markets and lowering the cost of finished products to U.S. consumers. Importantly, GSP only applies to products where there is no U.S. production.”
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 30-Nov. 3 in case they were missed.
CBP will likely adopt a hybrid “dual calculation system” for drawback in ACE, with substitution drawback calculated using line item per unit average and invoice level calculations for direct identification drawback, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed update on Nov. 6. The decision will have “significant implications,” because line items previously claimed using substitution drawback would be ineligible for direct identification drawback, and vice versa, the trade group said. CBP is also considering making all merchandise imported in any entry claimed in a drawback claim under the existing law unavailable for substitution drawback claims under the new procedures of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, it said.
The Federal Maritime Commission will meet on Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. to discuss the Supply Chain Innovation Teams and the review process for the Carrier and Marine Terminal Operator Agreement, the agency said. The FMC will also consider "commission action" on a National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America petition involving negotiated rate arrangements, it said. The NCBFAA filed the petition in 2015 (see 1504290019) and the FMC issued a related final rule earlier this year (see 1704030022).
The Federal Communications Commission will end its Form 740 filing requirements for imported radiofrequency devices as of Nov. 2, the agency said in a notice. While the Form 740 will no longer be required, the agency will continue to require compliance with rules for importing RF devices, it said. The FCC "retained the requirement that there must be an entity that assumes responsibility for the compliance of the device and modified the rules to ensure the existence and identity (and a domestic presence under the new [Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC)] rules), of such a responsible party." The FCC approved the changes in July (see 1707130045).
CBP will increase Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) fees by 2.677 percent to adjust for inflation in fiscal year 2018, the agency said in a notice. Affected fees include the merchandise processing fee, vessel and truck arrival fees and the customs broker permit user fee. The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, passed in 2015, required that CBP make inflation adjustments and fee limitations when deemed necessary (see 1512040024).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 23-27 in case they were missed.
UPS is working for the insertion of new NAFTA language providing for trilateral cargo preclearance, streamlined truck transportation between the U.S. and Mexico, and increased customs information submission requirements for Canadian and Mexican state-owned parcel services, UPS Senior Vice President for International Public Affairs and Strategy Amgad Shehata said Oct. 26. During a Cato Institute NAFTA event, Shehata called for a broad move away from paper-based customs procedures, noting that NAFTA parties are all single-window countries equipped for greater customs digitization.