A Federal Communications Commission enforcement advisory warns that TV set-top boxes, including those that stream internet content, must comply with equipment authorization requirements. Such devices must not be marketed in the U.S. without “FCC-required labeling and user manual disclosures,” the April 9 public notice said. Penalties could total more than $147,000 per violation, the PN said. The advisory notes that under Section 302 of the Communications Act and Part 2 and Part 15 rules, set-tops must be properly authorized by the FCC before being imported, advertised, sold or operated. It said devices must display an FCC ID of letters, numbers and symbols “unique to the device,” and user manuals must warn consumers of the device’s potential for causing interference.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is extending for one more year the temporary listing of 5F-ADB, 5F-AMB, 5F-APINACA, ADB-FUBINACA, MDMB-CHMICA and MDMB-FUBINACA in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said. The synthetic cannabinoids, first temporarily listed in 2017, will now remain listed in schedule I until April 10, 2020. DEA also issued a proposed rule to permanently list these synthetic cannabinoids in schedule I, with comments due May 8. Substances may only be temporarily listed under the CSA for three years.

The International Trade Commission is accepting proposals for changes to the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System tariff schedule for potential adoption in 2027, it said in a notice. The proposals will be reviewed by the ITC, CBP and the Census Bureau, and will be published for further comment, prior to potential submission to the relevant WCO committees by November 2022 for final WCO approval by June 2024. Proposals are due to the ITC by March 1, 2020.

The Department of Labor announced that it is removing cotton from Uzbekistan from its list of products prohibited because they are produced using forced or child labor. DOL said Uzbekistan has achieved a “significant reduction in the use of forced child labor to isolated incidents.” Products on the list, to which Uzbek cotton had been added in 2010, are barred from U.S. federal agency procurement.

The International Trade Commission is looking at possible textile and apparel rules of origin changes within the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement at the request of the U.S. trade representative, the agency said in a notice. "The proposed modifications to the KORUS rules of origin cover the following products: certain cotton yarns (under HTS heading 5206) with viscose rayon staple fibers (under HTS subheadings 5504.10 or 5507.00), certain woven fabrics (under HTS heading 5408) with cuprammonium rayon yarns (under HTS heading 5403.39), and certain apparel (under HTS heading 6110), and accessories and parts (under HTS heading 6117), of certain cashmere yarns (under HTS heading 5108)," the ITC said. Specifically, the USTR asked in a letter to the ITC for a review of the tariff shift rules involving headings 5201-5205, 5206, 5207, 5408, 6109,6110, 6111, 6113-6116 and 6117. "The USITC expects to submit its advice to the USTR by June 24, 2019," it said in a news release. "A public version of the report, with all confidential business information deleted, will be released as soon as possible thereafter." Public comments are due by March 29. No public hearing is planned.

The International Trade Commission is proposing to remove a requirement for miscellaneous tariff bill petitions that the descriptions be “sufficiently clear as to be administrable by CBP,” the agency said in a notice. Instead, "the Commission would substitute more specific wording that requires the petition to describe the article based on the existing Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) category’s description (at the 8- or 10-digit level) in HTS chapters 1 through 97, or to delineate an article representing a subset of the coverage of the applicable HTS category using terminology already included in the HTS or interpreted in pertinent CBP rulings," the ITC said. The ITC also proposes that petitioners also include “the names of any domestic producers of the article, if available” and "an estimate of the share of total imports represented by the petitioner’s imports of the subject article." The proposal also includes some smaller language changes. Comments on the proposal are due by April 15. The agency adopted interim MTB procedures last year, while noting some changes were likely to come (see 1812260043).

The Federal Trade Commission is proposing changes to its energy labeling rule to make it “easier to use by reorganizing several sections, amending language to increase clarity, and eliminating several obsolete provisions,” the FTC said. “The proposed amendments have no substantive impact on the Rule’s requirements,” the agency said. The FTC also seeks comments on other suggestions “to improve the Rule’s format, organization and clarity,” it said. Comments are due April 15.

The American Apparel and Footwear Association published the 20th edition of its Restricted Substances List, which provides information on regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel and footwear products around the world. The AAFA released the last list in February 2018. The list "serves as a practical tool to help individuals in textile, apparel and footwear companies, and their suppliers -- responsible for environmental compliance throughout the supply chain -- to become more aware of various national and international regulations governing the amount of substances that are permitted in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products," the AAFA said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the northern subspecies of scarlet macaw (Ara macao cyanoptera) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the southern subspecies of scarlet macaw (A. m. macao) as threatened, and subspecies crosses (A. m. cyanoptera and A. m. macao) also as threatened. The final rule includes a special “4(d)” rule for the subspecies listed as threatened (the southern subspecies and subspecies crosses) that allows for importation and exportation without a permit if the specimen was either held in captivity prior the date the hyacinth macaw was listed, or is a captive-bred specimen, as long as the exportation of the specimen is authorized under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA). Otherwise, import and export restrictions set by the final rule take effect March 28.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently issued a proposal to eliminate “duplicative” requirements for foreign manufacturers of civil aircraft and aircraft parts to submit information on compliance with FAA or equivalent standards. According to the FAA, that information is already submitted by the civil air authorities of foreign countries as part of the process to approve imported aircraft and aircraft parts. “This proposed rule would eliminate the burden on foreign applicants to produce and submit redundant documentation and would relieve the FAA from the administrative burden associated with processing this redundant paperwork,” the FAA said. Comments are due April 23.