Shippers' NewsWire reports that a Treasury Department source urges importers and their customs brokers to pressure agencies that have been slow to embrace the new government-wide International Trade Data System (ITDS), which is being developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide a single window for trade documentation filing and information sharing, because delays will continue in getting entry clearance for shipments. (Shippers' NewsWire, dated 02/26/07, available at www.americanshipper.com)
American Shipper reports that at the Trade Support Network (TSN) meeting and the annual Trade Symposium, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner Daniel Baldwin outlined an enforcement philosophy in which the vast majority of cargo is quickly released to the importer, and document checks are conducted in the post-entry environment. According to the article, CBP wants to find alternative ways to verify compliance of duty payments, classification and other documentation issues without holding up shipments at the port of entry. (American Shipper Pub February 2007, www.americanshipper.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice announcing that the third group of land border ports to become mandatory for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) electronic manifest: Truck (e-Manifest: Truck1) for advance cargo information purposes will be those in Michigan and New York effective May 24, 2007.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has previously announced that the next Customs Broker License Examination will be held on Monday, April 2, 2007.
FCC bureau chiefs at NARUC outlined their key telecom issues for 2007. Don Stockdale, FCC Wireline Bureau deputy chief, said his bureau will focus on 5 major issues for 2007 -- protecting customer proprietary network information (CPNI), reform of universal service fund distribution through reverse auctions or other means, reform of universal service fund contributions through number-based formulas or other means, VoIP number portability and intercarrier compensation reform. Wireless Bureau Chief Fred Campbell said his big issues for 2007 include an upcoming spectrum auction of 60 MHz in the 700 MHz band, addressing concerns of rural consumers and alarm companies in the transition from analog to digital cellular and determining whether to deem early termination fees rates, rendering them exempt from state regulation, or part of the “other terms and conditions” states can regulate. Catherine Seidel, chief of the Consumer & Intergovernmental Affairs Bureau, said her bureau’s top 2007 priorities are reform of relay service compensation to accommodate video, IP relay and other new technologies, ensuring E-911 access for IP and video relay, promoting Lifeline, addressing local consumer protection regulations over wireless services and managing consumer issues arising from the transition from analog TV to digital TV by Feb. 2009. In fiscal 2005, 40 million numbers were added to the national no-call telemarketing registry, which now includes 138 million phone numbers, she said. Kris Monteith, Enforcement Bureau chief, said a priority this year is stamping out “pretexting” and other frauds data brokers use to obtain customer call records, and ensuring telecom carriers adequately protect subscriber confidentiality. She said the FCC has subpoenaed online data brokers that fraudulently got phone records, and penalized brokers ignoring subpoenas. She said the FCC has asked a number of carriers how they live up to their duty to protect sensitive customer data. Ken Moran, acting chief of the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, said a major issue this year will be improving emergency communications between responders and with the public. He noted progress in the 800 MHz rebanding proceeding but noted that satisfying carrier and public safety agency requests to alter the reconfiguration process for the channels earmarked for the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee will extend the transition process past the original June 2008 target date. Other important issues for 2007, he said, will be developing a public emergency warning system for cellphones, working with states on keeping E-911 operational during disasters and becoming a central clearinghouse for communications information relevant to first responders, 911 centers and hospitals.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) posted an administrative message on February 13, 2007 stating that the port of St. Louis was closed due to limited broker activity and inclement weather. However, CBP stated that it would continue clearance of international flights. (Adm: 07-0051, dated 02/13/07, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2007/2007-0051.ADM )
According to The Journal of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) is very close to mutual recognition status with New Zealand's Security Export Scheme, a program available to the top 200 NZ companies that account for 60 percent of exports to the U.S. (JoC, dated 01/22/07, available at www.joc.com )
In December 2006, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its minimum security criteria for customs brokers already enrolled in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, or for those wishing to join this voluntary supply chain security program. At that time, CBP also issued its implementation plan for the new C-TPAT minimum security criteria for customs brokers.
According to sources at the International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), some of the underlying tariff numbers for 2007 Chapter 99 tariff numbers are more up-to-date in CBP's Automated Broker Interface (ABI) records and Harmonized records, than in the ITC's electronic and print version of the 2007 Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a frequently asked question (FAQ) document which reflects CBP's current thinking on its draft proposal1 to require 10 additional data elements from importers 24 hours prior to foreign lading and 2 data sets from ocean carriers (also referred to as Security Filing (SF) and the 10+2 proposal).