CBP has recently posted the following to its Web site:
The North Carolina Senate passed a bill that would require local governments to rule within 45 days on certain types of wireless tower construction permit applications. SB-831 also would limit local reviews to issues of public safety, land use and zoning. Local governments wouldn’t be allowed to seek information on wireless demand or service quality, and couldn’t require that facilities be installed on municipally-owned property. Municipalities would be allowed to make tower applicants study the feasibility of installing facilities on existing structures unless clear contractual, economic or engineering problems impede. Municipalities would have to notify applicants of deficiencies in their petitions within 45 days for collocation applications and within 60 days on new towers. Collocation applications would have to be decided within 45 days of being declared complete. New towers would have to be decided in a time frame reasonably consistent with decision intervals for other types of land-use permits.
| Hearing | Date | Committee, Subcommittee |
| Examine U.S. trade relations with China | 07/25/07 | Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism; Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Consider S.J. Res. 16, approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 | 07/23/07 | Senate Committee on Finance |
| Consider S. 625, to protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products | 07/25/07 | Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions |
| Export Controls: Are We Protecting Security and Facilitating Exports? | 07/26/07 | Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade; House Committee of Foreign Affairs |
| Federal Efforts to Mitigate Vulnerabilities in the Food Supply Chain | 07/24/07 | Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology; House Committee on Homeland Security |
| "Chemical Security--Rising Concern for America: Examination of the Department's Chemical Security Regulation and Its Effect on the Public and Private Sector" | 07/24/07 | Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection; House Committee on Homeland Security |
| Frequent Traveler Programs: Balancing Security and Commerce at our Land Borders | 07/26/07 | Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism; House Committee on Homeland Security |
CBP has issued a notice regarding the extension, through September 30, 2007, of the aggregate tariff preference level (TPL) for apparel that is eligible to receive duty-free treatment under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) as specified in HTS 9821.11.25 for the 12 month period of October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007 (was previously set to expire on June 30, 2007). (Note that the level was not changed; only the period was extended.)
GENEVA -- A European Commission decision to back DVB-H as the standard for mobile TV (CD July 19 p10) has not ended debate. Public broadcasters and companies opposing a European Commission mandate for DVB-H say that would hobble investment and delay mobile TV adoption. The European Broadcasting Union urged the EC to follow its recommended principle of technological neutrality rather than require a solution, the EBU said in response to the EC decision to recommend DVB-H en route to a possible mandate.
In May 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted to its Web site a notice announcing the phased enforcement of mandatory Automated Commercial Environment electronic manifest: Truck for advance cargo information purposes at all land border ports in Michigan and New York beginning May 24, 2007.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice announcing that the sixth group of land border ports to become mandatory for the Automated Commercial Environment electronic manifest: Truck for advance cargo information purposes will be those in Maine and Minnesota effective October 16, 2007.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that on June 2, 2007, programming was moved into production that fixed a problem that prevented electronic truck manifest participants from doing in-bond arrivals via electronic data interchange (EDI).
In February 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted to its Web site a notice announcing the phased enforcement of mandatory Automated Commercial Environment electronic manifest: Truck for advance cargo information purposes at all land border ports in California, New Mexico, and Texas beginning April 19, 2007.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Sony Computer Entertainment of America gave a demonstration of new features in its PlayStation “Home” 3D community service at an E3 news conference, unveiled at the March Game Developers Conference and on track for a fall rollout, SCE Worldwide Studios President Phil Harrison said. A key new feature is that PS3 users now will be able to launch Blu-ray or PlayStation Network games within Home’s virtual world, he said. A newly designed, exterior Home Square replaces the PlayStation Home lobby concept first shown at GDC. The new open-air space gives internal developers “more flexibility to build upon the community experience,” Sony said. Harrison also said users will be able to get their own personal spaces for Home. Four new apartments, including a beach house, Norwegian cabin, Manhattan penthouse and traditional Japanese house, were introduced, allowing more user choice and personalization, the company said. Users will be able to access Home via mobile phones and display digital photos taken with phones and presumably standalone digital cameras in the real world within Home’s virtual world, Harrison demonstrated. Sony executives spoke via avatar versions of themselves inside the Home virtual world at a few points in the news conference. The PlayStation Network has about two million registered users, 950,000 in North America, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton said, adding there have been 20 million downloads from it worldwide to date. Sony introduced downloadable games designed specifically for PlayStation Network, including puzzle game echochrome, which makes full use of PS3’s Sixaxis wireless controller, the action game Pain and the latest entry in Sony’s WipeOut racing series, WipeOut HD. Also demonstrated were two games to be available via download from the PlayStation Store and on Blu-ray discs: SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation and Warhawk, an online multi-player air and land combat game. The titles are among more than 40 games and game packs being developed at SCEA for download via PlayStation Network this fiscal year in North America, it said.