The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a final rule, effective April 5, 2007, to implement the Mexican Cement Import Licensing System, which among other things, requires all importers of subject cement from Mexico to obtain an import license prior to completing their U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) entry summary.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a final rule, effective April 5, 2007, to implement the Mexican Cement Import Licensing System, which among other things, requires all importers of subject cement from Mexico to obtain an import license from the ITA prior to completing their U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) entry summary documentation.
Washington Trade Daily reports that the Bush Administration expects to formally notify Congress of its intent to sign a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with Panama by the end of March, so that the FTA will be considered under current Trade Promotion Authority. The article adds that the text is currently undergoing the routine review known as the "legal scrub" and the FTA is expected to be signed in May or June. (WTD, dated 03/03/07, www.washingtontradedaily.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memorandum stating that it is retracting Textile Book Transmittal (TBT) 07-003 issued in February 7, 2007 concerning Reasonable Care for Accurate Entry Summary Data.
In U.S. v. Optrex America, Inc., the Court of International Trade considered the issue of 1592 negligence and the exercise of reasonable care, and concluded that there were genuine issues of material fact that required further adjudication.
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.