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

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 19-23 in case they were missed.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – CBP’s partner government agency (PGA) filing pilots in the Automated Commercial Environment are still hampered by a lack of participants, said Steve Hilsen, leader of International Trade Data System efforts at CBP, speaking at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade Northeast Cargo Symposium on Oct. 27. Some PGAs are “ready to roll” with their pilot programs, but have yet to attract a single volunteer, he said.

With major changes ahead for CBP’s national permitting scheme, licensed customs brokers are increasingly concerned with the prospects for the profession, said several brokers in interviews. The expansion of remote location filing on national permits to all entry types and government agencies, set to occur by the end of 2016 alongside full implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment, could allow brokerages to employ a single licensed individual to qualify all of their customs business. Brokers have been active in voicing concerns that such an outcome could undermine compliance and make customs brokering a less attractive profession, but have yet to find a solution acceptable to CBP.

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

Cindy Allen, formerly of DHL Global Forwarding and prior to that head of CBP’s ACE Business Office, opened a new consulting firm focused on assisting importers, exporters, customs brokers and software developers, she said in an email. The new company, named Trade Force Multiplier, will advise importers and exporters seeking to comply with the demands of partner government agencies and customs brokers seeking to automate and implement the Automated Commercial Environment. The firm will also offer a training and reference resource for desk-level employees at brokerages, importers, exporters and forwarders.

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

The Federal Communications Commission will temporarily waive its Form 740 certification requirements for radio frequency (RF) devices imported after CBP's Automated Commercial Environment becomes mandatory for FCC entries on July 1, it said in an order issued Oct. 19 (here). The waiver, which will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2016, allows time for the FCC to consider its proposal to eliminate importer declaration requirements entirely (see 1508110024), without imposing “significant burdens” on importers that would otherwise be forced to file on paper once ACE is required, the FCC said. Given the complexity of the FCC rulemaking, it’s possible the commission will be “unable to reach and publish a final determination” by July 1, when CBP will no longer accept electronic filing of FCC Form 740 via its legacy Automated Commercial System, it said.

CBP will open up its Automated Commercial Environment entry summary pilot to type 51 entries (merchandise imported by the Defense Contract Management Command (DCMAO NY) Military Only) and type 52 entries (government-dutiable – other than Defense Contract Management Command (DCMAO)), it said in a notice (here). Brokers and importers that use ACE will be able to electronically file an ACE entry summary for the release of entry type 51 and 52 cargo, in the air, ocean, rail, and truck modes of transportation as well as for mail, pedestrian, and passenger (hand-carried) modes of transportation, it said. The same eligibility requirements apply as those for entry types 01, 03 and 11, which are already part of CBP’s entry summary test. Brokers and importers seeking to participate should contact their CBP client representatives, or otherwise email Steven Zaccaro at steven.j.zaccaro@cbp.dhs.gov.

CBP announced it is beginning a pilot to test filing of Electronic Export Information (EEI) through AESDirect in the Automated Commercial Environment (here). Beginning “no earlier than Oct. 1,” U.S. Principal Parties in Interest (USPPIs) or their authorized agents will be able to transmit EEI by selecting the “Submit AESDirect Filings” link in the ACE Exporter Account Portal, said CBP in the notice, which also has instructions on how to sign up for an Exporter Portal account. Once fully functional and available to all filers, ACE AESDirect will replace the Census Bureau’s AESDirect system, and the legacy system will be discontinued, said CBP.