CBP posted a spreadsheet listing the top 5,000 importers for fiscal year 2013 based on entered value. The spreadsheet contains an alphabetical list of the companies names and addresses.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 21-25 in case they were missed.
A recently started campaign is working to push back against momentum for changes at CBP that could lessen the need for individually licensed customs brokers. The campaign, called "See a Broker, Save a Broker," was started in response to coming capabilities within CBP's Automated Commercial Environment that would allow for expanded Remote Location Filing (RLF), potentially meaning a single broker's license is all that would be necessary for importers across the country. "The national permit coupled with full blown RLF not only threatens our profession through lost jobs and core missions to protect the revenue and borders by reducing the ranks currently enlisted in this shared responsibility, it also devalues the individual license holder through declining demand," the campaign said.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's board of directors recently approved 16 new members, the NCBFAA said in a notice on its website. New members include:
The Federal Communications Commission should consider modernizing labeling requirements for devices that have to be certified by the agency and adopting more widespread "e-labeling" for some wireless devices, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said April 25 in a blog post. "Electronic labeling, or e-labeling, could replace the current system of etched labels containing FCC certification information on the outside body of each electronic device," he said. "Instead, this information could be provided through software on device screens. " E-labeling would cut costs for device manufacturers, O'Rielly said. "As devices have become smaller and more aesthetically appealing, etching the labels requires more design time and expensive equipment." The Telecommunications Industry Association asked the FCC to allow voluntary e-labels, in a 2012 petition for rulemaking.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP's Port of Fort Lauderdale requested public comments on the one application to operate a Centralized Examination Station (CES) for the Fort Lauderdale and Everglades ports in Florida. The applicant is International Warehouse Services, said CBP.
CBP consolidated the entry specialist teams at the Port of San Francisco, meaning locally licensed brokers are no longer assigned to a specific specialist team, CBP said in an information notice. Effective April 21, entry teams at the port were realigned to be "Processed" based, rather than "Filer" based, the notice said.
CBP applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) logo, the agency told industry members (here) and (here). Trademarking the logo will give additional protection from misuse of the logo, it said. "All licensing agreements will be issued free-of-charge," it said. The C-TPAT Partner Agreement will be updated with proper use clauses and C-TPAT members will need to agree to the clauses in order to renew their status, said CBP. "Until such time as a Partner’s next annual review, Partners are authorized to continue current uses of the trademark," the agency said. "Partners who are removed or withdrawn from the C-TPAT program must cease using the trademark." The trademark is only being licensed to C-TPAT members "at this time," it said. CBP's C-TPAT office, Office of Public Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the General Counsel collaborated on the application. CBP did not respond to a request for comment.
Coming regulatory changes at CBP will soon make the notion of district permits "a wholly irrelevant artifact," the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) said on its website. The NCBFAA recently made a point to make clear to its members that revisions to the broker permitting structure were in the works and industry engagement would be important (see 14042116) "While there appears to be strong sentiment to keep the current [district permitting system], that really is not an option," the group said.