The following are details of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s final rule, effective December 10, 2010, to amend its regulations governing the importation and interstate movement of noxious weeds.
NTIA will propose legislation that would provide funding to help identify spectrum that might be ripe for commercial use, the agency said in its long-awaited “Plan and Timetable to Make Available 500 Megahertz of Spectrum for Wireless Broadband,” released Monday. NTIA laid out a schedule for identifying additional bands for reallocation over the next five years, committing to identify the first band for additional analysis in January. The agency also released a report on 115 MHz of spectrum already considered for fast-track reallocation.
On November 10, 2010, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Bersin addressed the 6th Sovereign Challenge Conference in El Paso, TX and discussed CBP’s approach to border management and how CBP is working with its Mexican and Canadian partners on border security issues. Highlights of the Commissioner’s remarks include:
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has announced the following entity name and/or address change(s) for new DDTC license applications. New license applications received after the listed deadline will be considered for return without action for correction to the new name/address (notices hyperlinked):
The Republican gains in Washington create both risk and opportunity for Intelsat as the government looks to cut back on spending, said Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade during the company’s Q3 conference call Monday. The Congressional focus on lowering costs in general could “adversely affect” government capacity sales for the short-term, he said. But the move toward more cost-effective solutions may be a positive for Intelsat General, Intelsat’s government contracting operation, which can offer better prices than many competitors, he said. Government customers made up 19 percent of the companies’ revenue, up about 20 percent from Q3 last year, the company said. Intelsat revenue grew 4.3 percent to $644.3 million. Intelsat reported a net loss of $106.4 million for Q3, compared to a net loss of $94 million in the same quarter last year.
The National Nuclear Security Administration announced on November 4, 2010 that it has signed an agreement with Cameroon to begin a cooperative effort to deter, detect and interdict illicit smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive materials.
The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition calling for a ban on the manufacture, use and processing of lead in fishing gear. In a letter to the petitioners, EPA indicated that the petitioners have not demonstrated that the requested rule is necessary to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, as required by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
CBP has posted its supplemental EA and FONSI for the proposed modernization and operation of the Antelope Wells Land Port of Entry and Forward Operating Base in Hidalgo County, NM. The purpose of the proposed action is to modernize the Antelope Wells LPOE to accommodate new LPOE security and equipment requirements, and meet current and future operational and mission requirements. In addition, CBP proposes to co-locate a CBP Office of Border Patrol forward operating base and Office of Field Operations LPOE at the Antelope Wells LPOE.
CBP has posted its Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed modernization and operation of the Amistad Dam Land Port of Entry in Val Verde County, TX. According to CBP, the existing Amistad Dam LPOE is physically deteriorating and requires enhancements to meet CBP's security, operational, and mission requirements, which it does not currently meet.
CenturyLink and Qwest continued to see access line loss and a slowdown in Internet subscribers in Q3. The companies are waiting for approvals from 10 states and federal regulators of their plans to merge.