CBP New York/Newark released statistics in a pipeline notice showing the "cycle time measurement" of Centralized Examination Stations from July through September. The cycle times refer to the time from ocean container arrival, as transmitted via the Automated Commercial Environment, through final examination completion release date.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

CBP will adopt a final rule on the centralization of the agency's continuous bond program that doesn't include several previously proposed provisions, CBP said in a notice (here). A CBP proposal in 2010 (see 10011105) mentioned numerous changes that the agency decided to avoid due to other regulatory updates, it said. The agency also added some new changes in response to public comments it received, CBP said. The rule is effective Dec. 14.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 2-6 in case they were missed.

BALTIMORE -- The role of the Centers of Excellence and Expertise as a liaison between the port and the other government agencies is expected to grow as the program matures, said CBP and industry panelists while discussing the program at the East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 5. CBP is set to continue its expanded use of the CEEs, with plans to open the Apparel CEE to the entire industry by the end of the year (see 1511040014). While speaking with reporters on Nov. 4, Todd Owen, assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Field Operations, said the other six CEEs will also open to entire industries by June.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

BALTIMORE -- Despite rapidly approaching deadlines for implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment by the trade community, the latest data from CBP still shows only about 10 percent of cargo release submissions are being done in ACE, said Steve Hilsen, CBP’s lead executive for the single window, at the East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 5. Though part of the reason for the low adoption rate is the incomplete implementation of partner government agency (PGA) requirements, there’s “a lot of cargo releases out there” that aren’t subject to PGAs, he said.

The Federal Communications Commission published a notice (here) in the Federal Register on the agency's plans to waive its Form 740 certification requirements for radio frequency (RF) devices imported between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2016. (see 1510200035). The temporary waiver allows time for the FCC to consider its proposal to eliminate importer declaration requirements entirely (see 1508110024), without imposing new burdens on importers that would otherwise be forced to file on paper once CBP's Automated Commercial Environment is required, the FCC said.

BALTIMORE -- CBP’s rewrite of its Part 111 customs broker regulations is again on hold until the agency completes regulatory changes required for implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment, said CBP Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 4. The effort on broker regulations involves many of the same resources as the ACE regulatory changes, currently CBP’s top priority, meaning a proposed rule on Part 111 is at least six months away, she said.

BALTIMORE -- CBP will no longer allow substantial changes to Automated Commercial Environment filing requirements for the three partner government agencies (PGAs) set for full implementation on Feb. 28, said Brenda Smith, CBP assistant commissioner-international trade, at a press conference held Nov. 4 at CBP’s East Coast Trade Symposium. However, the agency may still have to implement fixes for bugs and broken policies, she said. An official from one of those agencies, the Food and Drug Administration, later said changes may still be necessary to correct issues or account for new deployments in ACE that may affect FDA.