U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted new versions of the ACE Portal Reports Dictionaries for importers, brokers, carriers, and sureties.

CBP has issued CSMS messages stating that second versions of the ACE Portal Reports Dictionaries have been completed and will be available soon.

The ITDS Board of Directors Product Information Committee has issued a concept paper on recommendations for the use of "product information codes" to the ITDS Board of Directors. The report contains recommendations on ways to provide government agencies with more specific product classification information via ACE to make fast and accurate decisions about cargo admissibility at U.S. borders. Paper available here. (Overview, dated July 2009, available at http://www.itds.gov/linkhandler/itds/news/ecommerce_product_data.ctt/ecommerce_product_data.pdf)

CBP has issued a CSMS message stating that phone service for the CBP San Francisco Air Cargo Facility, located on Westfield Road, has been restored. (CBP previously issued a CSMS message stating that the facility was experiencing a telephone outage.) (CSMS message announcing service restoration, 09-000280, dated 08/03/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17670&page=&srch_argv=09-000280&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby; CSMS message announcing the outage, 09-000279, dated 07/31/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17669&page=&srch_argv=&srchtype=&btype=&sortby=&sby)

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has presented U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Ahern with a white paper outlining its ACE priorities for customs brokers.

CBP has posted COAC's Importer Security Filing Subcommittee statement of work and directory. The ISF subcommittee was established at the May 6, 2009 COAC meeting and is to advise COAC of any advice or recommendations related to ISF. Specifically, the subcommittee is expected to generate advice and recommendations pertaining to the implementation of the ISF requirements. (Documents were posted on 07/28/09)

CBP has issued a CSMS message stating that on July 17, 2009, CBP published CBP Dec. 09&8722;26 titled "Guidelines for the Assessment and Cancellation of Claims for Liquidated Damages for Failure to Comply with the Vessel Stow Plan, Container Status Message, and Importer Security Filing Requirements." (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/17/09 and 07/20/09 news, 09071705 and 09072010, for BP summaries of the 10+2 penalty and mitigation guidelines.) (CSMS 09-000275, dated 07/27/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17665&page=&srch_argv=09-000275&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby)

CBP has posted a slide presentation providing an ACE overview and status update. This presentation covers ACE program successes, current capabilities, future capabilities, the International Trade Data System (ITDS), etc. (Presentation, posted 07/22/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/ace/toolkit/ace_ovrview_status.ctt/ace_ovrview_status.ppt)

CBP has issued a memo on the decrease of the 2009 DR-CAFTA tariff preference level for certain non-originating Nicaragua apparel. (See ITT's Online Archives or 06/26/09 news, 09062620, for previous BP summary of the decrease.) (QBT-09-532, dated 07/02/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/qbts/qbt2009/qbt_09_532.ctt/qbt_09_532.pdf)

CBP has posted the following ACE documents: