U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.
On August 16, 2011, U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an update on the status of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). CBP outlines and provides certain statistics on deployed ACE capabilities, such as ACE Secure Data Portal, Periodic Monthly Statement (PMS), Participating Government Agency access to ACE, electronic filing of e-Manifest: Truck, entry summaries, and Importer Security Filing (ISF).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that it is hosting a series of free webinars to provide more timely and up-to-date information to the international trade community on CBP trade policy. The next upcoming trade outreach webinar will be held on September 1, 2011 and will focus on ACE Post Summary Corrections.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a final rule to discontinue mailing paper courtesy notices of liquidation for entry summaries that are filed in the Automated Broker Interface (ABI), effective on approximately September 30, 2011. Importers of record whose entry summaries are not filed through ABI will continue to receive paper courtesy notices of liquidation on CBP Form 4333-A.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made available for immediate use new CBP Forms 301 (Customs Bond) and 301A (Addendum for additional co-principals) for continuous and single transaction bonds. The CBP Form 301 has been revised to list additional activity codes, including one for the Importer Security Filing, and to better harmonize the form with current and future automation requirements.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a fact sheet and presentation on the work being done to model simplified entry and financial processes for imports, as called for by Commissioner Bersin, who asked industry and government to consider how import trade processes can be re-engineered to meet the technological needs of the 21st century. CBP hopes to pilot these models in fiscal year 2012.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau states on August 11, 2011 Do Young “Nick” Lee, 42, of Tysons Corner, VA, in the business of importing alcohol from Korea, admitted to smuggling a distilled spirit into the U.S., failing to pay the proper taxes on the imports, and laundering the profits back into the operation. Lee operated Morning Calm International, Inc., principally based in Philadelphia, which imported the distilled spirit Cheungpung Soju. Lee admitted that to reduce the amount of excise taxes levied on his imports, he submitted, and caused customs brokers to submit, documents to U.S. Customs and Border Protection claiming that the Soju was rice wine.
Supporters of the Universal Service Fund overhaul agreement brokered by USTelecom asked the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Commerce committees and their communications subcommittees for support. A Thursday letter was from USTelecom, AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, FairPoint, Frontier, Windstream, OPASTCO, the NTCA and the Western Telecommunications Alliance. “This universal service fund (USF) and intercarrier compensation reform framework represents the country’s best chance to stabilize, modernize, and expand rural networks for years to come,” the coalition said. “With our carefully balanced compromise, we believe the industry can work through a major transition process without damaging vital communication infrastructure or disrupting customer services.” The FCC has said it hopes to complete reform this fall, the coalition noted. “After years of frustration and dead-ends, we are on the precipice of reform and now have a rare opportunity to push for significant change in these vital programs. Please join us by encouraging the FCC to make this reform a reality.” In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe urged the FCC “to take advantage of this historic opportunity” presented by the broad industry agreement on universal service and intercarrier comp revisions. “We may never see a better chance than this, and it’s time to end the waiting for those without broadband,” Beebe, a Democrat, wrote in a letter dated and released Thursday.
CBP officials state the agency is “exploring its options” on how to address trade concerns that the original ACE entry summary filer is missing out on perhaps important information, when a different filer replaces the original filer’s summary with a Post Summary Correction version, as the original filer does not have visibility to the PSC filing.
On May 17, 2011, the USCIB and AAEI asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Bersin to consider 18 additional benefits for the "next generation" of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) for Tier 2 and 3 participants, including zero inspections, eliminating CBP Form 28s, and releasing cargo based on 10+2 data.