In a world where decisions about people's lives are made by secret algorithms, anti-discrimination, due process and basic fairness protections are lost, University of Maryland law professor Frank Pasquale said Monday at a Center for Digital Democracy and U.S. Public Interest Research Group event. Mobile providers, cable companies, carriers, search engine companies, retail and content websites and social networking sites collect data, but it doesn’t stop there, Pasquale said. Data is swapped and sold among third and even fourth parties, he said, making the spread of data “un-monitorable and uncontrollable by any individual.”
A decrease in the amount of free time given to shippers to drop off or pick up cargo and an increase in demurrage charges may indicate that ocean carriers are using these mechanisms to drive up profits despite increasing congestion at ports, said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in a letter to the Federal Maritime Commission dated May 5. The trade association requested that the commission conduct a detailed fact finding investigation on free time and demurrage to follow up on issues identified in an agency report released April 13 (see 1504140014).
The Federal Maritime Commission is working to mitigate damage caused by the recent months of West Coast port congestion, and it's critical that labor unions engage in negotiations as early as possible to avert a similar contract dispute in the future, said FMC Commissioner Mario Cordero in a Senate Commerce Committee nomination hearing on May 6. The Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union struck a tentative deal in February to continue port operations at full capacity (see 1502230002). Cordero also called for infrastructure improvements and funding boosts for agencies that handle the import and export of cargo.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices for May 1 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
CBP scheduled a webinar on Importer Security Filing on May 5 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. Among the speakers is Craig Clark, ISF program manager in CBP's Office Field Operations. CBP's ISF policy allowing for three warnings to an importer before liquidate damages are filed is due to end May 13, Clark previously said. The policy could be extended if necessary, he said last year (see 14052106). Registration for the event is (here).
The Federal Maritime Commission is asking for comments on possible changes to its regulations governing Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) Negotiated Rate Arrangements (NRAs), in a notice published in the April 28 Federal Register (here). Requested in a petition filed April 16 by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (here), the changes would expand the NRA exemption for NVOCCs from publishing shipping rates in tariffs to also cover “non-rate economic terms.” Comments are due by June 8.
The recent Federal Maritime Commission report on free time and demurrage fees shows that the agency already has enough information to take action, said dozens of industry groups in an April 27 letter to FMC Chairman Mario Cordero (here). The agency's report, released earlier this month (see 1504140014), outlined several paths of action, but asked for additional industry input. While the report provides a "good foundation," the FMC should "take action to address these issues," said the groups, including the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America and the Consumer Electronics Association.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 20-24 in case they were missed.
A controversial case on the liability of compliance and corporate officers for their employer’s customs violations now goes to the Supreme Court justices’ chambers for a decision on whether to hear the appeal, after Harish Shadadpuri, owner of Trek Leather, filed a final brief on April 27 in favor of his petition for certiorari. Shadadpuri's lawyer, Al Daniel, argued that a decision from the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit misinterpreted the customs penalty laws and was unsupported by the facts of the case. Daniel expects a decision from the Supreme Court on whether to consider the case by the end of June.
CBP plans to provide an outline of cargo release processes within the Automated Commercial Environment on May 15, said Steve Hilsen, lead executive of the Single Window Program Office at CBP. Hilsen and ACE Business Office Acting Director Deborah Augustin spoke about Single Window progress at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference on April 22 in Orlando, Florida. Most of the Partner Government Agency functionalities will begin production as of June 27, though there will be some delay in adding non-Lacey Act capabilities for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Hilsen said. A CBP presentation included a number of "key dates" in preparation of the Nov. 1 requirement for electronic summary and entry filing in ACE (here).