It’s “time for quick action” for companies that want to sway the U.S. Trade Representative’s office against imposing Trade Act Section 301 tariffs of 25 percent on 1,200 classifications of goods imported from China in the list released Tuesday (see 1804040054 or 1804040023), said DLA Piper in an "international trade alert." Companies “have the opportunity to present their views on specific products listed under the proposal for higher tariffs before the list is finalized and the tariffs become effective, in an effort to seek the removal of a product from the final list,” said the law firm Wednesday. Written comments are due May 11, with an April 23 deadline for requesting to appear at a May 15 public hearing, it said. May 22 is the deadline for written comments to “rebut statements made at the hearing,” it noted. The USTR notice spells out how someone who wants a product removed from the list should file comments and what those comments should say, said the alert: Commenters “should explain why the inclusion of the specific product will not be effective in curbing China's actions that are targeted by this Section 301 action, and also how the tariff would negatively impact US persons (including the affected company and its customers)." USTR didn't comment Thursday on whether the May 15 public hearing at the International Trade Commission building will be streamed live. The agency's recent history has been to hold hearings "off-camera." U.S.-threatened sanctions and the Chinese response to "reciprocate" are likely stage setting for future negotiations, Merrill Lynch analysts emailed investors. "Despite the exchange of tariff threats, we believe there is still room for negotiation between the US and China," said Helen Qiao and Sylvia Sheng Tuesday. "We maintain our view that China will continue its 'carrot and stick approach,' threatening retaliation but also proposing to expand its imports of US products, cut the auto duty, and ease restrictions for US companies investing and selling in China," they said. "We expect the final version of both the US and China trade measures to be more toned down."
Customs Duty
A Customs Duty is a tariff or tax which a country imposes on goods when they are transported across international borders. Customs Duties are used to protect countries' economies, residents, jobs, and environments, by limiting the flow of imported merchandise, especially restricted and prohibited goods, into the country. The Customs Duty Rate is a percentage determined by the value of the article purchased in the foreign country and not based on quality, size, or weight.
An FCC rural call completion order and Further NPRM draft seek new ways to solve problems with long-distance calls to rural areas, which often aren't connected or are dropped. The draft item in docket 13-39 would shift from "covered provider" data reporting and related requirements to relying on monitoring of "intermediate carrier" performance, and seek to implement a new rural calling law. Another draft NPRM in docket 17-144 would offer business data service (BDS) "incentive regulation" to rural telcos receiving model-based Connect America Fund USF subsidy report. Both items were put on the April 17 commissioners' meeting tentative agenda announced Monday and released Tuesday (see 1803260028 and 1803270052).
With a lack of electricity and access to funding hampering recovery efforts for communications services in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, some concerns about the FCC USF-based aid proposal have emerged, industry and government officials in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington told us. Some industry officials expressed concern about the proposal's goals and said the plan does nothing for affected broadcasters. A group of Puerto Rico broadcasters pitched a nationwide disaster relief plan for broadcasters to Chairman Ajit Pai during his visit earlier this month. “What happened in Puerto Rico can happen elsewhere in the U.S.,” said Eduardo Rivero of Puerto Rico station owner Media Power Group.
Parties anxiously await a court ruling on FCC Telephone Consumer Protection Act actions that were intended to help carriers and phone customers prevent unwanted robocalls but have stoked further controversy, said speakers at two FCBA panels Thursday. A decision is long overdue from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that heard oral argument Oct. 19, 2016, on challenges to the commission's 2015 TCPA declaratory ruling and order in ACA International v. FCC, No. 15-1211.
Rollout of FirstNet's network for public safety is on track to meet an initial milestone and could be completed ahead of schedule, said CEO Mike Poth in Media Institute remarks Thursday. "Our biggest concern is we need to make sure it gets built out on time," he said, but he's "pretty optimistic." AT&T, FirstNet's wireless partner, is poised to meet a March deadline to finish deploying a network "core," he said, referring to a secure national backbone connecting public safety entities. The company will then have five years to meet buildout commitments (in four phases) within all states and territories, but hopes to finish in three, he told us afterward.
SES' signing onto the joint Intelsat/Intel plan for clearing portions of the C-band downlink spectrum for sharing with terrestrial mobile operations (see 1710020047) greatly increases the likelihood of that proposal moving forward at the FCC, satellite industry insiders told us. Citing a "duty and mission" to protect satellite C-band operations from disruption, SES CEO Karim Sabbagh said Friday the aim is to "ensure that the expansion of the C-band ecosystem in the U.S. will protect the interests of hundreds of established services and millions of American end-users, while at the same time paving the way for the creation of next-generation 5G terrestrial services.”
The FCC received wide and nuanced input on ways to ensure or facilitate unblocking of calls erroneously blocked by anti-robocalling measures. Many urged mandatory challenge mechanisms or other new rules to speed unblocking of legitimate calls, while others resisted potential regulations. More comments were posted Tuesday and Wednesday in docket 17-59 on a November Further NPRM attached to an order encouraging providers to block illegal calls. Previous comments mostly expressed skepticism about unblocking regulation (see 1801230062). Noting a 2015 order authorizing consumer-initiated call blocking, collections group ACA International said the FCC should adopt "call blocking mitigation mechanisms that apply both to provider-initiated and consumer-initiated call blocking." The Professional Association for Customer Equipment, Alorica and the Consumer Relations Consortium urged the FCC to require carriers to offer call-blocking mitigation services for call originators and recipients, along with speedy agency complaint procedures. The Electronic Transactions Association backed an FCC challenge mechanism if it promotes "centralized feedback" as part of an industry standard. Hiya backed a challenge mechanism and the Retail Energy Supply Association urged numerous new FCC requirements. SiriusXM said it's being harmed by aggressive blocking of legal calls and proposed various rules to facilitate unblocking. NTCA said providers that block calls should be required to send callers with blocked numbers an "intercept message" notifying them of the action and possible remedial steps. Consumer groups don't oppose an unblocking mechanism if there are safeguards but sought new FCC actions to combat illegal robocalling. The National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions also urged the FCC to stay focused on cracking down on unlawful robocalls, and wait to undo harmful effects until litigation over the 2015 order is resolved. Colonial Penn Life Insurance backed the FCC initiative if it acts to ensure legitimate marketers aren't snared. USTelecom opposed a challenge-mechanism requirement and asked the FCC to back industry-led unblocking efforts. Verizon said the FCC should encourage industry efforts, saying much depends on whether blocking is opt-in or opt-out. NCTA said the FCC should monitor voluntary call blocking before deciding on new rules. Comcast opposed possible new reporting duties but suggested the FCC require voice providers to create their own user-friendly webpages for reporting erroneous call blocking. First Orion said industry parties need leeway to develop their own challenge mechanisms, and Transaction Network Services suggested a challenge mechanism is tricky to implement. ITTA opposed possible new industry reporting duties for voice providers. Incompas asked to hold off on such obligations for now, and "not rush to implement any solutions" that could harm upstart competitors until reliable robocall detection is available industrywide.
District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine will propose net neutrality legislation to the D.C. Council, an AG office official said Wednesday at a Council Government Operations Committee roundtable on a resolution condemning the FCC’s December decision to rescind Communications Act Title II protections. D.C. interim Chief Technology Officer Barney Krucoff and Public Service Commission Chairman Betty Ann Kane also supported the resolution, though Kane noted the PSC can’t regulate broadband internet access service (BIAS) providers or the internet.
Facebook spent significantly more in Q4 lobbying than during the previous year’s period, lobbying disclosures show. It spent $3 million, up from the $1.7 million last year. In addition to Facebook's report, the company reported paying firms including BakerHostetler; Blue Mountain Strategies, David Wade/GreenLight Strategies, Harbinger Strategies, Ogilvy Government Relations, Peck Madigan Jones, Signal Group Consulting, Steptoe & Johnson, Subject Matter and theGROUP $445,000 for technology policy work, including cybersecurity, advertising transparency and platform integrity.
The Alaska Telephone Association asked the FCC to adjust some Lifeline service duties in the state to account for remote geography and other factors. The commission should clarify a mobile wireless Lifeline eligible telecom carrier (ETC) "in remote Alaska provides 3G service when it offers 3G or better in part of its service area and ensures that its customer can access that service," said a petition posted Tuesday in docket 10-90. ATA asked the FCC to waive the 3G duty for remote Alaska ETCs that don't yet offer at least that service level, and to waive the 3G requirement for all remote Alaska ETCs if the agency denies the service area clarification. "For fixed ETCs that do not yet offer broadband meeting the minimum speed standards, the Commission should facilitate remote Alaskans’ access to fixed broadband services by allowing Lifeline-eligible consumers to apply the Lifeline discount to broadband offerings under 4/1 Mbps when no 4/1 Mbps offering is available, and to any of the ETC’s available broadband offerings," ATA added.