The U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., announced it would convene a “merits panel” to consider a mandamus petition sought by a coalition of businesses and trade associations concerned about the FCC’s special access policies. In a tersely worded order March 23, the court said it took the action “on its own” and plans to seek briefs and hold an oral argument. The move surprised even the petitioners. Although mandamus petitions usually face an uphill battle, the court signaled its interest in Dec. by ordering the FCC to respond to the petition.
Customs Not in Contempt for Revoking is Approval for the "Duty-free" Sale of Fuels.In Ammex, Inc. v. U.S., the Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed the Court of International Trade's (CIT's) denial of Ammex's motion to hold Customs in contempt because it revoked approval of the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel on a duty- and tax-free basis at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, MI and Windsor, Canada.
The Wall Street Journal states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is declaring a temporary hiring freeze at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to a potential $1.2 billion budget shortfall. According to the article, the exact cause of the budget shortfall is unclear and may simply be a computer glitch. (WSJ, 03/26/04, www.wsj.com )
Effective April 14th ABI, FDA Software to be Modified to Improve the FDA Prior Notice Filing Process
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message announcing that several changes will be made to ABI and FDA software, effective April 14, 2004, to improve the process for filing FDA Prior Notices of imported food (PNs), as follows:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a press release on March 18, 2004 announcing that the U.S. has filed a World Trade Organization (WTO) case against China regarding its discriminatory tax rebate policy for integrated circuits.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has announced the launch of the DDTC Response Team.
Washington Trade Daily reports that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman hopes to see action on H.R. 2896, his bill that would repeal the Extraterritorial Income Tax Exclusion (ETI) before the House adjourns for the Easter recess in late March/early April. According to the article, H.R. 2896 would replace ETI with a new tax cut for domestic manufacturers and propose an array of international law changes aimed at making U.S. businesses more competitive abroad. The article notes that Congress is under pressure to repeal ETI in order to end sanctions against certain U.S. goods which the European Union imposed as of March 1, 2004. (WTD dated 03/18/04, www.washingtontradedaily.com.)
FMC Requests Comments on FedEx's Petition for an Exemption from NVOCC Tariff Publishing Requirements
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a notice announcing that it has received a petition from FedEx Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage, Inc. (FedEx) for an exemption from the tariff publishing and adherence requirements of the Shipping Act of 1984, as amended (Shipping Act) in order to permit it to depart from the provisions of its tariff and enter into confidential service contracts for ocean transportation services with shippers.
Granting cable operators the option of encrypting the digital basic tier is “a fair, pro-competitive middle ground” between CE interests that want no such encryption and the motion picture industry that advocates requiring it, the NCTA told the FCC in reply comments on the broadcast flag.
Granting cable operators the option of encrypting the digital basic tier is “a fair, pro-competitive middle ground” between CE interests that want no such encryption and the motion picture industry that advocates requiring it, the NCTA told the FCC in reply comments on the broadcast flag.