MPAA is a part of the conversation within the Obama administration on questions about gun violence, said Chairman Chris Dodd. “I care about it deeply,” he said Friday during a luncheon speech at the National Press Club in Washington (http://bit.ly/YwiWTg). Over the years, the MPAA content ratings system has evolved, he said: There are more descriptors involved and “a lot of the technology has changed.” The content platforms “provide so many more places where visual entertainment can be seen,” he said. “We're working to provide the assistance and support we can in that area.” It’s an important issue and “we're going to be working with the administration and others to find out the ways that we can be supportive,” he said.
Feb. 20 International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee meets, 9:30 a.m., in Washington, D.C. -- http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2013-00668_PI.pdf
CBP announced the location and agenda for the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC), March 6 at 1 p.m. (ET) in Washington, D.C. Online registration for webcast and in-person participation is available through March 4, said a Feb. 19 notice.
CBP is in the midst of a rewrite of its Part 146 Foreign Trade Zones regulations that will include modernizing and automating current procedures, as well as eliminating burdensome requirements that serve CBP no purpose, said David Murphy, acting assistant commissioner in the CBP office of field operations. The reforms will “improve efficiencies, and remove redundancies and burdensome paper requirements, while at the same time balancing the need to expedite cargo and maintain security,” he said at the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones 2013 Regulatory and Legislative Seminar Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C. CBP is also close to finalizing changes to its in-bond regulations, and the final rule could come out in May or June, another official said.
The election of half of the board members for the National Custom Brokers & Forwarders Association of America begins later this month. Nominations and nominating petitions are due Feb. 22. If there's a contested election, proxies will be sent to members in the areas represented by March 8. The results will be announced April 8 at the annual meeting in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Feb. 11-14 Annual Advanced ITAR Compliance Conference, Westin Alexandria, Alexandria, VA -- http://bit.ly/Xwe9Av
Marken promoted Dan Bell to the newly-created position of vice president, regulatory compliance and technical affairs. Bell is a licensed customs broker and certified customs specialist.
Descartes Systems Group is extending its cloud-based Air Messaging services across all Descartes OneView customers, it said. “Through this service, forwarders and brokers can enhance air cargo management capabilities by seamlessly connecting and exchanging shipment data and documents with air carriers,” the company said in a press release. OneView customers will be able to exchange air waybills, house bills, and status messages electronically with more than 90 global air carriers, Descartes said.
Baltimore-based customs broker and international freight forwarder Samuel Shapiro & Company launched a Humanitarian Services Program recently to assist international relief organizations with logistical needs. Delivery of donated goods in places with weak infrastructure often results in logistical issues, and in such cases Shapiro will use its “industry connections to secure low-cost services with partnering agents, steamship lines, and truckers,” it said. Its first project involved shipment of donated insulation panels to Word of Life Fellowship’s dining hall in Honduras.
Farrow Group announced its acquisition of Kitchener, Canada-based customs broker W.Pickett & Bros. Feb. 4. The operations and staff of Pickett will be rolled into the infrastructure of Russell A. Farrow Limited. Farrow Group is the largest privately owned customs broker in Canada, and has offices in the northern U.S. and Los Angeles.