The Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum will continue to apply to such goods from China despite a hold on new tariffs on other products from China while trade talks continue (see 1805200002), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on May 22. "As it relates to China, the steel and aluminum tariffs will remain in force," Mnuchin said during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services. "Those were not part of discussions," which were focused on the proposed Section 301 tariffs, he said.
Proposed new 25 percent tariffs on products from China will be put "on hold" while the Trump administration tries to "execute the framework" of a trade deal with China, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. "I'm pleased to report that we've made very meaningful progress and we've agreed on a framework, which is important to understand, and the framework includes their agreement to substantially reduce the trade deficit by increasing their purchasing of goods," he said of the talks with the Chinese. China and the U.S. released a joint statement Saturday saying both sides are aligned on the "importance of intellectual property protections, and agreed to strengthen cooperation," among other terms. Comments are due Tuesday in docket USTR-2018-0005 to rebut statements made in three days of hearings the U.S. Trade Representative's office held last week on the proposed tariffs (see 1805160067 or 1805160020). USTR Robert Lighthizer wants "real work" for "changes in a Chinese system that facilitates forced technology transfers in order to do business in China and the theft of our companies’ intellectual property and business know how," he said in a statement his office emailed us Monday. "Getting China to open its market to more U.S. exports is significant, but the far more important issues revolve around forced technology transfers, cyber theft and the protection of our innovation. As this process continues the U.S. may use all of its legal tools to protect our technology through tariffs, investment restrictions and export regulations. Real structural change is necessary." Despite the Trump administration's pause in adding tariffs on goods from China, it's too early to end efforts on product exemptions, Baker McKenzie lawyer Ted Murphy blogged. "While this is a positive development, it is also subject to change," he said. "For now, we are recommending that companies continue to pursue exclusions just in case."
The FCC put Sinclair’s amendments to its proposed buy of Tribune out for public comment, said a public notice Monday. With the final deadline July 12, the transaction likely wouldn’t be voted on before August or September, communications attorneys told us. A U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision that could knock down the UHF discount is expected around then.
The FCC put Sinclair’s amendments to its proposed buy of Tribune out for public comment, said a public notice Monday. With the final deadline July 12, the transaction likely wouldn’t be voted on before August or September, communications attorneys told us. A U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision that could knock down the UHF discount is expected around then.
Despite the Trump administration's pause (see 1805200002) in adding Section 301 tariffs on goods from China, it's too early to end efforts toward product exemptions, Baker & McKenzie lawyer Ted Murphy said in a blog post. "While this is a positive development, it is also subject to change," he said. "As a result, for now, we are recommending that companies continue to pursue exclusions just in case."
Despite the Trump administration's pause (see 1805200003) in adding Section 301 tariffs on goods from China, it's too early to end efforts toward product exemptions, Baker & McKenzie lawyer Ted Murphy said in a May 21 blog post. "While this is a positive development, it is also subject to change," he said. "As a result, for now, we are recommending that companies continue to pursue exclusions just in case."
The Enterprise Wireless Association said it gets “numerous ‘Have You Seen This’ inquiries” every month from “unknowing” business/industrial land transportation (B/ILT) and public safety licensees targeted by Federal Licensing Inc., a firm near the FCC office in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The firm warns licensees that if they don’t keep their license current, the “licensee is in direct violation of the FCC Rules and susceptible to newly imposed fines,” EWA said Wednesday: The letters suggest “the licensee might save itself from the wrath of the FCC by writing a $124 check to Federal Licensing.” Federal Licensing didn’t comment. “We hope more licensees would pause for just a moment and ask themselves ‘does this solicitation make any sense whatsoever?’” EWA said in a news release. “If Federal Licensing really wanted to do good, maybe they should send their solicitations to those that are using non-FCC compliant radios from Asia on an unlicensed basis. How do these folks sleep at night?”
Sinclair’s latest modifications to its deal to buy Tribune appears designed to make it more palatable to the FCC and DOJ, attorneys and analysts said in interviews. The amended plan does away with divestiture trusts, puts less pressure on the FCC’s new and untried policy on top-four duopolies, and -- as detailed Tuesday (see 1804240076) -- specifies buyers for most of the 23 stations to be divested. Though the deal still includes plans to unload stations to “sidecar” companies seen as affiliated with Sinclair, the latest iteration is expected to be acceptable to Justice because none of the stations operated through sharing agreements will be top-four stations, said Justin Nielson, senior researcher for S&P Global Market Intelligence.
The FCC asked a court to maintain a procedural hold on a tech transition case over the prior commission's regulation of copper retirements and telecom service discontinuances under Communications Act Section 214. The FCC said a November wireline infrastructure order (see 1711160032) reversed key decisions being challenged by telcos in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in USTelecom v. FCC., No. 15-1414, but noted that reversal is being challenged in the 9th Circuit (see 1712080057). It also noted briefs in the 9th Circuit are now due Friday, with responses of the government and intervenors due May 29. "It would be prudent for the Court to continue to hold this case in abeyance until the pending legal challenge to the Infrastructure Order is resolved," said the agency's filing (in Pacer) Monday.
The FCC Public Safety Bureau is acting to increase the use of the Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) to propagate emergency alert system warnings, rather than the legacy “daisychain” system, said the bureau’s report on the 2017 Nationwide EAS test, released Friday. The internet-based CAP (common alerting protocol) alerts sent through IPAWS contain more information, have better audio and allow multi-language alerts, the report said. The test shows EAS participants have “improved in their ability to successfully alert the public,” the report said, though it also shows a drop from 2016 in test participation, and a Federal Emergency Management Agency report on the nationwide test released last week questioned the accuracy of the results reporting.