The U.S. and its 13 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework partners closed out their first in-person ministerial meetings in Los Angeles Friday with an agreement to “seek to coordinate actions to mitigate and prevent future supply chain disruptions and secure critical sectors and key products for our manufacturers,” said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The 14 IPEF countries have “the collective goal of resilient supply chains that can anticipate, withstand, or rapidly recover from shocks and strengthen the competitiveness of our economies within the Indo-Pacific region,” they said in a ministerial statement. “We recognize that strengthening logistics in supply chains, including land, air, waterway, maritime, shipping and port infrastructure, can have broad-based positive effects.”
The Commerce Department erred by including "grossly outdated" data to calculate the benefits derived from the provision of land for less than adequate remuneration in a countervailing duty review, plaintiffs led by JA Solar Technology Yangzhou Co. said in a Sept. 6 complaint at the Court of International Trade. Further, the plaintiffs railed against Commerce's use of adverse facts available over the alleged use of China's Export Buyer's Credit Program and its decision to use certain lease rates to calculate the benefits for JA Solar's reported leases, among other things (JA Solar Technology Yangzhou Co. v. United States, CIT #22-00232).
The FCC likely gained some useful insights through its notice of inquiry on offshore spectrum, but industry officials said they don’t expect a quick turnaround from the FCC on rulemakings or further steps in the proceeding. The FCC logged 22 initial comments (see 2207280032) and 12 replies, posted last week in docket 22-204 (see 2208290038). Most agreed there are steps the agency can take, but there was little consensus on what to do next.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) may sign at least three more tech and telecom bills as the state legislature wraps up its legislative session this week. SB-717, the Broadband Access Point Investment Acceleration Study Act, passed unanimously. It would direct the Office of Planning and Research to report by 2024 about the challenges of broadband development on public and private land, particularly for low-income and tribal communities. AB-1262, which would limit personal data collection for makers of connected TVs and smart speaker devices, passed unanimously. AB-32, which would make COVID-19-related telehealth accessibility permanent, also passed unanimously.
Chinese trade barriers to imported food cause substantial price differences between the amount Chinese buyers pay for those U.S. commodities -- including the standard tariffs -- and the national average cost of those goods, a study from USDA's Economic Research Service estimated.
With the comment cycle complete, proponents of a December waiver request seeking permission to start using the 5.9 GHz band for cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology expect a relatively quick order from the FCC. Other requests have followed. But industry observers also note that FCC staff still must wade through all the comments, and the timing of agency decisions on such issues can be difficult to handicap.
Only a small percentage of foreign real estate purchases are reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, but that may change given an uptick in concern, lawyers at Morgan Lewis said in an Aug. 29 blog post.
Over $1.2 million in forfeited funds from an international tax fraud and money laundering scheme for fuel imported into Romania will be sent back to the Romanian government, DOJ announced. The funds came from the sale of property located in Washington state that was owned by a Romanian couple who were extradited to Romania, the Aug. 26 news release said.
Over $1.2 million in forfeited funds from an international tax fraud and money laundering scheme for fuel imported into Romania will be sent back to the Romanian government, DOJ announced. The funds came from the sale of property located in Washington state that was owned by a Romanian couple who were extradited to Romania, the Aug. 26 news release said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a bill that would end user fee requirements at airports that are primary airports, not more than 30 miles from the northern or southern land border, and that have a formal legal instrument linking the airport to a land border crossing or a seaport within 30 miles -- and designate them as official ports of entry. Cruz called the bill the Border Airport Fairness Act; the text was published Aug. 19. There are no bill co-sponsors.