The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting written comments on its Special 301 out-of-cycle reviews (OCRs) of Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Latvia, and Saudi Arabia regarding intellectual property rights (IPR).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice providing information on the services and procedures of APHIS's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program concerning, among other things, PPQ's role in facilitating the export of plants and plant products from the U.S.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a proposed rule to amend 16 CFR by adding new Parts 1307 (Ban of Three-Wheeled All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)), 1410 (Requirements for Adult ATVs), and 1515 (Requirements for Youth ATVs) in order to address the risks of injury and death associated with ATVs. The proposed rule would also amend certain administration and enforcement regulations in existing Part 1500 of 16 CFR.
Frustrated customers are turning online for tech support, a survey said. Many (40%) said they prefer the phone as a means of resolving technical issues, but online chat came in 2nd (32%). Almost all respondents (95%) said they plan to use online chat for customer assistance. Top phone gripes include hold (92%), having to repeat information (62%), being told to do things already done (52%) and having to call multiple times (51%). The SupportSoft survey polled 301 people at companies of 1,000 or more people who said they use a PC daily.
On July 29, 2006, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006. According to a Textile Development Memo (TDM) from the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA), H.R. 4 contains Dominican Republic-Central America-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) fixes, a continuation of the Wool Trust program, a "new shipper" provision, etc. See future issues of ITT for additional details on H.R. 4. (House Ways and Means Committee press release, dated 07/29/06, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news.asp?formmode=release&id=419; USA-ITA TDM, dated 07/31/06, www.usita.com.)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice reopening the comment period for its April 2006 proposed rule that would revise and reorganize the regulations pertaining to the importation of fruits and vegetables.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a final rule, effective July 25, 2006, in order to revise an interpretive rule which advises manufacturers (including importers), distributors and retailers of consumer products on how to comply with the requirements of section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (Act), which requires such parties to report potential product hazards to the CPSC, among other changes.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective August 18, 2006, which amends the gypsy moth regulations in 7 CFR Parts 301 and 319 by, among other things, adding conditions for the importation of certain bark and bark products from Canada, etc.
An FM construction permit auction winner was fined $3,000 by the FCC for missing a deadline to file a document. Frank Neely, who bid Jan. 12 on a permit for Due West, S.C., has 30 days to pay the penalty or challenge it, said Media Bureau Chief Donna Gregg in a notice of apparent liability. Neely got a waiver of the Form 301 filing deadline, with Gregg’s order “accept[ing] his application for filing.”
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) which announces that it is considering whether there may be a need to update and strengthen its regulation of fireworks devices.