U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum regarding the impact of Presidential Proclamation 8323, which granted Mauritius preferential tariff treatment accorded to designated African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries and suspended Bolivia from the list of countries eligible to receive benefits under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). CBP has updated programming to allow the use of HTS 9819.11.12 for goods from Mauritius entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after October 31, 2008. CBP will no longer allow claims under HTS 9821.11.25 for textile goods from Bolivia effective December 15, 2008. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/05/08 news, 08120505, for BP summary on Proclamation 8323.) (QBT-08-119, dated 12/04/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/qbts/qbt2008/qbt_08_119.ctt/qbt_08_119.pdf)
Wireless Spectrum Auctions
The FCC manages and licenses the electromagnetic spectrum used by wireless, broadcast, satellite and other telecommunications services for government and commercial users. This activity includes organizing specific telecommunications modes to only use specific frequencies and maintaining the licensing systems for each frequency such that communications services and devices using different bands receive as little interference as possible.
What are spectrum auctions?
The FCC will periodically hold auctions of unused or newly available spectrum frequencies, in which potential licensees can bid to acquire the rights to use a specific frequency for a specific purpose. As an example, over the last few years the U.S. government has conducted periodic auctions of different GHz bands to support the growth of 5G services.
Latest spectrum auction news
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued its interim final rule which will amend 19 CFR Parts 4, 12, 18, 101, 103, 113, 122, 123, 141, 143, 149, 178, and 192, effective January 26, 2009, to require Security Filing (SF) information from importers and additional information from carriers (10+2) for vessel (maritime) cargo before it is brought into the U.S.1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued revised versions of its informed compliance publications entitled, What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Internal Combustion Piston Engines and What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Turbojets, Turbopropellers and Other Gas Turbines, (HTSUS 8411) and Parts Thereof.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued its final rule, effective May 6, 20091, on the submission to FDA of prior notice (PN) of food, including animal feed, which is imported or offered for import into the U.S.
The World Customs Organization has posted a press release announcing that on October 22, 2008, Ecuador deposited with the WCO Secretary General its instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System). This makes Ecuador the 135th Contracting Party to the Harmonized System Convention. (WCO, dated 11/07/08, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/press/default.aspx?lid=1&id=168)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted the October 2008 customs broker license exam answer key.
CBP has posted the following presentations for the 2008 Trade Symposium, which will be held on October 29-31, 2008 in Washington, DC:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a general notice containing guidelines for the assessment of claims for liquidated damages and the mitigation of those claims, when participants fail to pay or untimely pay estimated duties and fees under the NCAP test1 for the Periodic Monthly Statement2 payment process.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will hold a conference call on October 20, 2008 to discuss its proposed rule on labeling requirements for toy and game advertising. The call is intended to inform the public about the details of the proposed rule and give interested stakeholders the opportunity to raise questions and share concerns about the rulemaking. (CPSC Public Calendar, dated 10/15/08, available at http://www.cpsc.gov/calendar.html.)
A number of documents have been posted to the International Trade Data System1 Web site, including one from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that discusses the functionality that will be available to certain ITDS Participating Government Agencies in future Automated Commercial Environment releases2.