U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued CSMS #12-000023 to provide information on the recently released Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8 security patch KB2585542, which is incompatible with the current Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) application and has resulted in slow Portal performance. CBP states it is investigating the conflict and hopes to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. CBP has provided an interim solution for trade consideration and determination, which involves the removal of the security patch. If this temporary solution is selected, CBP states users should work with their local IT resources to perform the removal. If users determine to effectuate the removal, CBP has provided the following steps:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted two fact sheets on the benefits of its Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) for service providers and truck carriers, which include the following:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice containing the email address the trade can use for submitting questions on ACE Simplified Entry and Summary. General questions can be sent to: CBPSimplifiedProcesses@dhs.gov.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection states it is aware that ABI filers began having issues with release dates beginning with a code deployment on the evening of January 17, 2012, when the M1 team switched the manifest system of record from AMS to ACE. This change in the system of record resulted in some issues with cargo release dates, which are in the process of being fixed. CBP states its Field Offices will be notified not to issue liquidated damages created by these systems issues.

Broker Power is providing readers with some of the top stories for January 17-20, 2012 in case they were missed last week.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an amendment to its October 2011 memorandum on the renewal of the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, and the procedures for duty refunds for merchandise entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption during the period in which the ATPA and ATPDEA programs lapsed (February 13, 2011 through November 4, 2011). The amendment involves the SPI "J*" and HTS 9821.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted the change record for the CATAIR chapter on the ACE PGA Message Set, which lists the following changes:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a January 2012 update on its progress with various Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) capabilities and other projects, such as Document Image System (DIS), PGA Message Set, e-Manifest: rail and Sea (M1), ACE Truck, Automated Export Processing etc. With this update, CBP states that in addition to allowing the trade to electronically transmit document images and associated data to CBP, the DIS will support processing single transaction bonds submitted by the trade. CBP also notes that as of January 2012, it deployed M1 at 17 ports (from 13 ports in December 2011).

According to officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP expects the first filing of a live Simplified Entry by pilot trade participants to occur in March 2012. Testing with the trade is now expected to begin in late January or early February 2012, due to delays caused by M1’s pushed-back deployment schedule.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a message stating that due to problems with the URL for accessing the ACE Trade Web Based Training site on cbp.gov, CBP has created a new URL that will allow the trade to access the WBT: http://nemo.cbp.gov/ace_online.