Oregon LNG said it was pleased with a three-month stay agreement between Oregon LNG and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development on its completed Coastal Zone Management Act application. Oregon LNG has proposed a $6-plus billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal and associated pipeline near the mouth of the Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore. Oregon LNG CEO Peter Hansen said the project "remains on track to receive most of its federal permits by the end of 2014."
The after-effects of the federal shutdown are still being felt more than two months later. In an order released Friday, the FCC Wireless Bureau granted a temporary waiver sought by the Enterprise Wireless Alliance, which allows applicants for new or modified stations in the 470-512 MHz, 806-824/851-866 MHz, and 896-901/935-940 MHz bands to operate while their applications are pending.
Vizio slashed the price on its top-selling E601I-A3 60-inch connected LCD TV through a $200 instant rebate, in a move that may possibly ignite a new post-Christmas price war, said retail and supplier executives we canvassed. Best Buy had the set priced online at $999 on Monday, moved it to $899 Tuesday and landed at $799 on Christmas Day. Walmart was promoting the 60-inch online at $798 on Christmas Day.
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, introduced telecom and broadcasting bills in the last two weeks, both referred to the Senate Commerce Committee. On Wednesday, he introduced the Rural Broadband Investment Act of 2013, S-1858. The bill proposes to end “well-documented flaws in the FCC’s 2011 Universal Service Transformation Order that caused financial burdens to small- and mid-size communications carriers operating in rural areas,” Begich’s office said, slamming the USF’s quantile regression analysis as “questionable statistical analysis.” His Thursday press release included statements of support from Greg Berberich, CEO of the Matanuska Telephone Association, and Alaska Telephone Association Executive Director Jim Rowe. Begich points to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s recent announcement that he may end the quantile regression analysis, but Rowe said the “legislation is important to rural telecommunication companies because it not only addresses the QRA, but also two other important provisions within the transformation order which are the safety net additive and waivers.” According to a summary of the bill provided to media, the legislation creates a timeline for the FCC to develop an order “to ensure USF reforms are achieved in a manner that is both consistent with the nation’s universal service objectives and fosters those objectives.” Under the bill’s proposal, quantile regression analysis would be halted, and on an interim basis, “at a level equal to the combined operating and capital expenses the carrier had for calendar year 2011 adjusted for any revisions resulting from restoration of the Safety Net Additive or FCC action on a waiver petition,” Begich’s office said. The FCC would also have to file qualitative and quantitative analyses for the Senate and House Commerce Committees within 60 days of the bill’s enactment “assessing the amount of USF necessary to meet the nation’s universal service objectives over the next ten years and a specific analysis identifying the unique circumstances and resulting high cost fund support needed to provide and maintain universal service in Alaska and on Tribal Lands,” it said. On Dec. 12, Begich introduced S-1819, which would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act “to provide eligibility for public broadcasting facilities to receive certain disaster assistance, and for other purposes,” according to its long bill title. Neither bill has cosponsors.
The U.S. and Canada 2013 Implementation Report on the Beyond the Border Initiative shows some major progress towards implementing the agreement between the two countries, said the White House in a blog post . The report (here) looks at the ongoing work toward improved trade and travel between the two countries since the Beyond the Border initiative was started in 2011. ""Both countries have started to rely on the other’s offshore inspections of marine shipments to reduce the need for re-inspection at the land border," said the White House. "Also, the U.S. truck cargo pre-inspection pilot in Surrey, British Columbia, tested new approaches for conducting screening at the land border. We are building on these accomplishments to complete preclearance negotiations for all transportation modes."
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added an individual and entities and vessels and made changes to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on Dec. 17.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added inviduals, entities and vessels and made changes to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on Dec. 12.
The PS4’s U.S. sales beat the Xbox One’s during November, the launch month for each videogame console, according to NPD’s latest monthly sales data. More than 909,100 Xbox Ones were sold in the U.S. last month, Microsoft said, citing NPD’s data. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) didn’t say Friday how many PS4s were sold in the U.S. last month and NPD stopped providing reporters with sales data for each console.
Recent trade-related bills introduced in Congress include:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed on Dec. 12 a lower court ruling against CBP’s imposition of nearly $38 million in penalties on Union Pacific for contraband found in Mexican trains crossing the border. CBP had imposed the penalties after finding illegal drugs on trains brought to the U.S. border by Ferrocarril Mexicano and Kansas City Southern de Mexico, even though Union Pacific didn’t control the trains until after the CBP inspections. The Nebraska U.S. District Court rejected the penalties in 2012, in part because Union Pacific had no reasonable way of preventing cartels from putting drugs on other companies’ trains. The 8th Circuit mostly agreed with the circuit court, vacating only a court order to issue regulations related to the standard of care required of common carriers.