The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule in March 2011 that amended the Dairy Promotion and Research Order to implement an assessment (tax) on imported dairy products, effective August 1, 2011, and to add importer representation to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board.

Speakers clashed during an FCC forum Tuesday on location-based services (LBS) on whether regulation or legislation is needed to protect consumer privacy as wireless subscribers make use of a growing number of applications that track their locations. The FCC, in consultation with the FTC, took a deep dive at the forum into the complicated issues surrounding LBS. The FCC appeared to mostly be on a fact-finding mission, with no hints from FCC officials that LBS rules are in the works.

Speakers clashed during an FCC forum Tuesday on location-based services (LBS) on whether regulation or legislation is needed to protect consumer privacy as wireless subscribers make use of a growing number of applications that track their locations. The FCC, in consultation with the FTC, took a deep dive at the forum into the complicated issues surrounding LBS. The FCC appeared to mostly be on a fact-finding mission, with no hints from FCC officials that LBS rules are in the works. (See separate report in this issue.)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum on the administration of a 19 USC 1520(d), post-importation preference claim that includes a classification change. CBP is issuing this memo in the interest of informed compliance and processing uniformity.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a general notice announcing a modification to its Post-Entry Amendment (PEA) Processing test¹, which allows the amendment of entry summaries prior to liquidation. Effective September 22, 2011, the test is being modified to reflect that PEA procedures will no longer be accepted for entry summaries filed in the ACE. In addition, this notice states that for any PEA which results in antidumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) cash deposits due (or bond, if allowed), such deposits or bond are due with the submission of the PEA.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a general notice that sources state gives a "formal start date" to the National Customs Automation Program test that allows importers to use the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) to file post-summary corrections of certain pre-liquidation ACE entry summaries (ESAR IV). While CBP deployed this PSC functionality in ACE for trade participants on June 4, the formal commencement date is July 25, 2011.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.

The Court of International Trade has ruled in U.S. v. Trek Leather Inc., and Harish Shadadpuri that an importer of record along with its sole shareholder committed gross negligence by consistently failing to include the cost of fabric assists in the price actually paid or payable in their entry documents for men's suits imported into the U.S. The defendants were also found liable for unpaid customs duties and civil penalties, plus interest.

The Canada Border Services Agency has issued a notice to importers, customs brokers and service providers announcing the phased-in timeframe to increase the number of lines requiring a 10-digit Harmonized System (HS) code at time of interim accounting (Pre-Arrival Release System (PARS) and Release on Minimum Documentation (RMD) release requests) from five lines to all lines.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Consumer Product Safety Commission officials recently discussed the differences between their detention notices at a CBP Port of Chicago meeting.