ASPEN, Colo. -- Chairman Ajit Pai defended his goals at the FCC, centering on broadband and closing the digital divide, before tech and telecom executives who laughed at his frequent jokes poking fun at himself. On a road trip to see broadband deployment and ATSC 3.0's rollout, he visited the Technology Policy Institute conference Tuesday for a Q&A. He said the Trump administration’s question about FCC review of Sinclair buying Tribune was appropriate, that an inspector general report on filing glitches bore out the agency’s and not critics’ contentions, and that a much-awaited economics office -- focus of a TPI panel last year (see Notebook at end 1708220036) -- still is coming. Ex-Chairman Tom Wheeler disagreed with Pai that the White House query on Sinclair/Tribune paled in comparison with then-President Barack Obama weighing in on an earlier net neutrality proceeding.
ASPEN, Colo. -- Chairman Ajit Pai defended his goals at the FCC, centering on broadband and closing the digital divide, before tech and telecom executives who laughed at his frequent jokes poking fun at himself. On a road trip to see broadband deployment and ATSC 3.0's rollout, he visited the Technology Policy Institute conference Tuesday for a Q&A. He said the Trump administration’s question about FCC review of Sinclair buying Tribune was appropriate, that an inspector general report on filing glitches bore out the agency’s and not critics’ contentions, and that a much-awaited economics office -- focus of a TPI panel last year (see Notebook at end 1708220036) -- still is coming. Ex-Chairman Tom Wheeler disagreed with Pai that the White House query on Sinclair/Tribune paled in comparison with then-President Barack Obama weighing in on an earlier net neutrality proceeding.
An importer’s lawsuit on CBP’s classification of its purportedly used clothing was dismissed Aug. 21 over its failure to pay just $26 of a total $10,057 duty bill by the time of filing. All duties, taxes and fees must be paid in full before bringing challenges to denied protests, and Dis Vintage’s omission of a small amount of interest charges in its final payment before filing its summons -- it paid the $26 just days later -- means the Court of International Trade has no jurisdiction to hear the case, the court said in its decision.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Aug. 13-19:
ATLANTA -- A “proof of concept” set to begin in September will provide for brainstorming and early-stage testing on the use of blockchain technology in processes related to NAFTA and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), Vincent Annunziato, director of CBP’s Business Transformation and Innovation Division, told a group of reporters at the CBP 2018 Trade Symposium on Aug. 14. CBP will consider not only the technical capabilities of blockchain and any business benefits but also whether use of the technology fits with the agency’s regulatory and policy scheme.
Sprint said the LEC Coalition "merely recycles an argument" the FCC has rejected about applying access charges to intraMTA (major trading area) traffic. "The LECs have provided no reason why the Commission should not deny their petition for declaratory ruling and/or file an amicus brief" backing reversal of a district court ruling in a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case, said the group's filing, posted Thursday in FCC docket 14-228. The coalition asked the FCC not to undercut district court decisions, and to pursue a rulemaking if it seeks to let interexchange carriers route commingled traffic through Feature Group D trunks while exempting intraMTA wireless traffic from access charges (see 1808130039). "The LECs contend that the Commission’s rules currently permit them to impose access charges on IXCs delivering intraMTA calls," Sprint said. "But the Commission squarely rejected the LECs’ position" in its 2011 USF and intercarrier-compensation order, confirming prior decisions that intraMTA traffic isn't subject to access charges but to reciprocal compensation, said Sprint. It added that the district court erred in concluding FCC rules allowed LECs to charge reciprocal compensation and access charges to the traffic even though both regimes "have never been applied to the same calls."
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Aug. 6-12:
The odds are seemingly long on DOJ's appeal of a U.S. District Court decision allowing AT&T's buy of Time Warner, with antitrust experts telling us the agency's arguments -- laid out in its appellant brief this week -- face a high burden of proof and typical appellate court deference to lower courts on their reads of the facts. Since it's the trial court that sees witnesses and can best establish their validity, DOJ's challenging of what it considers faulty findings "is a really uphill battle," said Daniel Lyons, Boston College associate law professor.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 30 - Aug. 5:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Aug. 6 affirmed a lower court ruling on the classification of battery-powered candles in heading 9405 as lamps and lighting fittings. CAFC largely agreed with the Court of International Trade's finding in a Gerson Company challenge to CBP's classification of the candles after liquidation in heading 9405 with a 3.9 percent duty rate during 2009 and 2010 (see 1708030011). Gerson appealed CIT's ruling over what the company said were errors in the court's analysis.