Oct. 18-21 Pacific Coast Council of Brokers & Freight Forwarders Assns. Wesccon, Loews Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego -- www.wesccon.com
CBP posted documents on changes to the Customs and Trade Interface Requirements (CATAIR). The updates will change usage notes text to allow for entry type 03 to be filed via remote location filing (RLF) and remove “First Sale” filing requirements, said CBP. CBP previously said it was targeting mid-October for RLF 03 entries and would look to expand the RLF program rather than overhauling customs broker permitting requirements.
With U.S. Agent liability set to begin for Food and Drug Administration foreign facility reinspection fees, a bevy of questions still surrounds the issue. The fees, which can reach $289 per hour for fiscal year 2013, have been in effect since Oct. 1, 2011. But FDA still hasn’t begun invoicing for the fees, and will only do so once it finalizes a guidance on small business fee reductions. Biannual foreign facility registration renewal, which is statutorily required to run Oct. 1-Dec. 31 of this year and would include designation of U.S. Agents by foreign facilities, has also been delayed pending “finalization of related guidance documents,” said an FDA spokeswoman. And many customs brokers have removed themselves as U.S. Agents to avoid liability, said Roger Clarke of customs broker Williams Clarke Co. “It is unknown how this will play out with a shortened registration period, no published guidelines or updated Q&A, and a reduced number of possible U.S. Agents,” he said.
CBP posted the October 2012 customs broker exam (here) and answer key (here).
The Food and Drug Administration’s internal reorganization will streamline interactions between importers and FDA headquarters, but won’t have much impact on FDA’s operations in the field, according to several industry sources. The reorganization, announced in an internal FDA fact sheet dated Sept. 10, will create a new Office of Import Operations and Enforcement (OIOE). The new office, which will remain in the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), will combine the operational side of the FDA Division of Import Operations and Policy with the existing Office of Enforcement.
Customs brokerage Livingston International bought Norman G. Jensen, Inc., including its Canadian brokerage company, Jensen Customs Brokers Canada, said Livingston CEO Peter Luit. He said the deal strengthens Livingston's presence along the Canada-U.S. border and adds "attractive air/sea ports" and bolsters its services on the border with Mexico. A second-generation family business founded in 1937, NGJ is a major independent customs broker with a strong presence in the western U.S.
Oct. 15 USTR Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business meeting, 9:30 a.m., Ronald Reagan International Trade Center -- 202-482-3222
The CBP Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEEs) will serve as a resource of information to everyone in the trade community, from large importers down to customs brokers that aren't frequently interacting with the centers, said CBP officials during a Oct. 11 Webinar. The Webinar was part of an ongoing CBP outreach effort on its update to broker regulations in 19 CFR Part 111, though its focus on the CEEs isn't directly related to the update on broker regulations. The CEEs, which offer industry-dedicated, virtual locations for entry summary review, are currently in a pilot phase
T-Mobile USA’s proposed merger with MetroPCS is unlikely to have a significant impact on U.S. tower companies if the U.S. government approves the deal as expected (CD Oct 4 p1), industry officials told us. Any carrier consolidation is likely to lead to concerns because the tower companies end up with fewer customers -- but those concerns are mitigated by the carriers’ network build-out plans, Benchmark analyst James Dobson said. “With MetroPCS forming up with T-Mobile, it gives them a stronger parent company, more of solid capital base with which to roll out their next-generation network,” he said. “Everyone’s going to these LTE networks, and if T-Mobile’s going to compete on a national scale, they're going to have to be aggressive in building out their LTE network. That’s going to ensure that the MetroPCS will also build out."
The Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs) offer a significant amount of hope and concern among the trade industry, said individuals involved in several different facets during interviews. The CEEs, which offer industry-dedicated, virtual locations for entry summary review, are currently in a pilot phase but are widely expected to see an increased role, potentially meaning a major shift in the customs world. Several concerns remain, said industry and CBP officials, but there's also hope that they will provide for simpler and more uniform customs processes.