U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) user guide on e-Manifest: Trucks. It provides an introduction to this capability in ACE and information on how to store account information in the ACE, how to add drivers to an account, submitting an e-Manifest, in-bond shipment information, etc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a proposed rule to amend 19 CFR to transform the in-bond process from a paper dependent entry process to an automated paperless process in ACE. It would also require additional information to be reported on the in-bond application, establish a 30-day transit time for all modes except pipelines, and require electronic permission from CBP for in-bond cargo diversion, among other changes. Comments on the proposed rule are due by April 23, 2012.
Public safety agencies should jointly procure land mobile radios to save money, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bms8wf). GAO recommended that the Department of Homeland Security facilitate joint purchasing. “The price of handheld LMR devices is high -- often thousands of dollars -- in part because market competition is limited and manufacturing costs are high,” GAO said. Also, public safety agencies “cannot exert buying power in relationship to device manufacturers, which may result in agencies overpaying for LMR devices,” GAO said. Joint procurements would allow “agencies requiring similar products to combine their purchase power and lower their procurement costs,” it said. While the national public safety broadband network -- set up under legislation passed last week by Congress -- should improve interoperability and data transfer rates, it likely won’t support mission-critical voice for “10 years or more,” GAO said. As a result, “first responders will continue to rely on their current LMR systems for the foreseeable future.” GAO cited several challenges slowing deployment of the public safety broadband network, including governance, getting adequate funds and ensuring interoperability, reliability and security. DHS agreed with GAO’s recommendation, GAO said.
A Michigan bill would make it easier for providers to install telecom facilities on state-owned lands now being used for rail trails. The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Tom Casperson and recently passed in the Senate, is expected to gain House support, industry officials said. The bill is significant for broadband expansion in the state because Michigan has more than 2,000 miles of rail trails, they said. However, opponents feared the bill might hurt funding for trail maintenance and development.
The FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureaus told public safety licensees they should make sure waiver applications offer all the information the agency needs, before asking for more time to convert their systems to narrowband operations (http://xrl.us/bmsx94). Licensees face a Jan. 1 deadline for private land mobile radio systems in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands to migrate to 12.5 kHz or narrower technology. Numerous local and state agencies have already sought a waiver (CD Feb 3 p5). Those seeking waivers should ensure that their submissions include or are amended to include “a definitive list of the frequencies for which they are seeking a waiver, a list of frequencies that will be relinquished (if applicable, e.g., if the licensee intends to migrate to the 700 MHz or 800 MHz band and relinquish VHF/UHF spectrum), and representations from all licensees covered by the waiver request that they have committed to take any actions that form the basis for the waiver justification,” the bureaus said in a public notice.
The 3DS again outsold the PS Vita in Japan, according to the latest Media Create data, released Friday. Sony’s new handheld system had its weakest performance to date in the week ended Feb. 12, coming in No. 4 among videogame hardware systems as sales fell to 13,900 units from 17,100 the prior week (CED Feb 13 p10). Its Japan installed base inched up to 566,500. All weekly sales estimates are rounded to the nearest 100. The 3DS easily remained Japan’s best-selling system, but sales slipped to 67,600 from 75,000. Cumulative 3DS hardware sales inched up to an estimated 4.9 million. The PS3 and PSP also outsold the Vita. The PS3 remained Japan’s No. 2 system, but sales dipped to 22,000 from 23,300. The PSP moved up one to No. 3 as sales inched up to 15,900 from 15,800. The Wii remained No. 5, but sales fell to 8,200 from 8,800. Sales of every other system again trailed far behind. The PS2 moved up three to No. 6 as sales improved to 1,200 from 500. The Xbox 360 dipped one to No. 7, sales falling to 1,100 from 1,400. The DSi LL dipped one to No. 8, sales slipping to 1,000 from 1,100. The DSi fell one to last place, sales flat at 700. Konami’s Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Century for the PSP became the best-selling videogame in Japan its first week available, moving 61,800 copies. Sony Computer Entertainment’s Gravity Rush for the Vita was No. 2 in its first week, moving 43,500 copies. Capcom’s Resident Evil: Revelations for the 3DS, the prior week’s No. 1 videogame, slipped to No. 3 in its third week as sales tumbled to 26,100 from 43,600. Three more 3DS titles had a strong showing: Nintendo’s Mario Kart 7 at No. 4 with 23,800 sold, Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3G at No. 5 with 21,300 sold and Nintendo’s Super Mario 3D Land at No. 6 with 19,700 sold. In stark contrast, there were only three other Vita games in the entire top 50 as the software slate for that system continued to be weak: GungHo’s Ragnarok Odyssey for the Vita, down five at No. 9 in its second week as sales tumbled to 8,100 from 33,500; Namco Bandai’s Tales of Innocence R, down 12 at No. 26 in its third week; and Acquire’s Sumioni (Ink Demons) at No. 42 in its first week. Sony’s Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational for the Vita, No. 49 the prior week, fell off the chart. Namco Bandai’s SoulCalibur V for the PS3 had a weak second week in Japan as it slid to No. 11 from No. 2, sales tumbling to 7,500 from 34,300.
Delta Air Lines requested an extension of the Commission’s Jan. 1, 2013, deadline for migration of all VHF and UHF Part 90 operations to narrowband, according to a filing posted Wednesday. “Delta has already purchased thousands of radios that needed to be replaced in order to be compliant with the Commission’s narrowbanding standard,” Delta said. Delta expects to complete its narrowbanding efforts at 24 locations by the end of 2012, covering more than 60% of its fleet, but that will leave about 150 stations “for which Delta anticipates difficulty” meeting the deadline. Because Delta’s 10,000-unit land mobile radio system is spread nationwide, the narrowbanding must be done in a “staged manner,” it said, taking “far longer than it would have if the system was located in a single geographic area.” The process is “complicated” because of Delta’s 2008 acquisition of Northwest Airlines, it said: “A significant amount of time needed to be spent accessing each airline’s radio operations, and determining what, if any, consolidation was needed.” Delta intends to complete the narrowbanding process across all its facilities “by the end of 2013,” it said.
An FTC report Thursday targets mobile applications stores and app developers for their inadequate disclosure of information parents need to determine what data is being collected from their children when they download and use apps, how it’s shared or who will have access to it. The report highlights “the lack of information available to parents prior to downloading mobile apps for their children, and calls on the industry to provide greater transparency about their data practices,” the FTC said. FTC staff also found that there isn’t enough information provided from apps available through stores from Apple and Google’s Android concerning apps that are integrated with social media and targeted advertising, the FTC said.
On February 7, 2012, a House subcommittee1 held a hearing on “Balancing Maritime Security and Trade Facilitation: Protecting our Ports, Increasing Commerce and Securing the Supply Chain” at which testimony was given by witnesses from CBP, GAO, etc. on issues such as 100% scanning, C-TPAT, CSI, etc.
An FTC staff report Thursday targets mobile application stores and app developers for their inadequate disclosure of information parents need to determine what data are being collected from their children when they download and use apps, how information is shared or who will have access to it. The report (http://xrl.us/bmsg8v) highlights “the lack of information available to parents prior to downloading mobile apps for their children, and calls on the industry to provide greater transparency about their data practices,” the FTC said. FTC staff also found that there isn’t enough information provided from apps available through stores from Apple and Google’s Android concerning apps that are integrated with social media and targeted advertising, the FTC said.