CBP is continuing to track stakeholder readiness for ACE transition, and expects its first mandatory use date on March 31 to proceed smoothly, said an agency spokeswoman that same day. The switch from a hard Feb. 28 deadline to phased approach “has alleviated concerns voiced by the trade community regarding readiness by staggering the integration of the PGAs, and allowing more time for all parties to fully transition to ACE,” she said.
After months of hand-wringing and multiple delays, the first ACE mandatory use date on March 31 looks set to go smoothly, said software developers and customs brokers the day before the transition. CBP’s phased implementation approach appears to have paid dividends, with March 31 marking no change at all for many filers who already file the required types of entries and entry summaries in ACE, they said.
Americans face a growing threat to their privacy as ISPs and leading Internet companies capture more data and find new ways to target consumers with data-driven personalized advertising, the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) said in a report released Wednesday. The FCC is to vote on its data privacy NPRM at its March 31 meeting (see 1603100019).
Americans face a growing threat to their privacy as ISPs and leading Internet companies capture more data and find new ways to target consumers with data-driven personalized advertising, the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) said in a report released Wednesday. The FCC is to vote on its data privacy NPRM at its March 31 meeting (see 1603100019).
Americans face a growing threat to their privacy as ISPs and leading Internet companies capture more data and find new ways to target consumers with data-driven personalized advertising, the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) said in a report released Wednesday. The FCC is to vote on its data privacy NPRM at its March 31 meeting (see 1603100019).
Clear timelines, greater legal transparency, and advance tariff rulings required within the customs regimes of Trans-Pacific Partnership member countries could have a larger role than the pact’s tariff reductions in sparking trade and enhancing supply chains, according to an analysis of the TPP published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (here). While TPP contains several important customs provisions, it stops short of setting deadlines for countries to implement World Customs Organization standards and to start using a single automated entry point, said the think tank. Some customs provisions also contain weak implementation language, as words like “endeavor” and “encourage,” ostensibly instead of language like “require” and “must,” frequently appear, it said.
Everglory Logistics acquired LITESHIP International, a customs brokerage in Boston, for an undisclosed amount, Everglory said in a news release (here). "The acquisition of LITESHIP has also set in motion plans to create a seamless, full-service customer experience integrating forwarding and Customs brokerage," Everglory said. "It also provides a roadmap for future software updates that will unify both processes in a single system for our customers." Everglory now has three licensed brokers, it said.
The National Association of Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America will lose Executive Vice President barbara reilly, the trade group said March 21 (here). Effective June 7, reilly will end her 16-year tenure with the NCBFAA, said the association. "Preparations are currently underway to conduct a search for a replacement," it said.
Port operators and longshoremen should get an early start on negotiations over the next west coast contract to avoid the disruptions that plagued west coast ports in 2014, said a group of over 100 trade organizations in a letter to the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union dated March 15 (here). With the current contract set to expire in 2019, there remain “important and difficult issues” to resolve, and talks should “begin as early as possible in order to lay the groundwork for a new contract, or contract extension, without major disruption,” said the trade groups, which included the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, American Association of Exporters and Importers and American Apparel & Footwear Association. Both sides should also “pledge to avoid actions that would slow, stop, or disrupt cargo movement during negotiations,” said the letter.
The Energy Department’s proposal to require the filing of additional data elements in ACE for products subject to energy efficiency standards is unnecessarily burdensome, and runs contrary to the federal government’s stated goal of simplifying the import process, said manufacturer and importer associations in comments submitted to the agency (here). The proposed rule results from a misunderstanding of the roles various parties play in the import process, seeking data from importers that is best and most easily – and already – submitted by manufacturers, they said.