The Bureau of Industry and Security on Dec. 15 suspended the export privileges of six people after they were convicted of export-related offenses, including illegal shipments involving guns to Mexico, dual-use parts to Russia, items to Chinese companies on the Entity List, and more. The suspensions took effect from the date of their convictions.
The Commerce Department should use its upcoming AI exports program as an opportunity to address export licensing delays within the Bureau of Industry and Security, technology companies and trade groups told the agency in public comments this month.
The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed a temporary denial order for Nordwind Airlines after saying the Russian airline continues to illegally operate aircraft on flights into and out of Russia. Nordwind has "engaged in a pattern of repeated, ongoing and/or continuous apparent violations" of the Export Administration Regulations and previous denial orders, BIS said, noting that it has operated several recent flights to and from Russia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The agency renewed the order for one year from Dec. 5.
The Office of the Federal Register published a correction this week to a Commerce Control List that appeared in the most recent annual revision of the Code of Federal Regulations. It fixes an error in the language that describes certain "materials" controlled in the CCL, including metals and alloys.
Advanced technology and AI companies largely supported the Commerce Department’s new effort to create a program aimed at increasing U.S. exports of AI technologies and services, with some saying companies should commit to "rigorous" export compliance conditions before being allowed to participate. One company said the U.S. should require businesses to automate their compliance for exports involving certain dual-use AI models, saying manual compliance presents too many “failure points.”
The Council on Governmental Relations, an organization of more than 200 U.S. research universities, released new guidance that outlines the major federal regulations governing research security, including export control rules, guardrails for sensitive information transfers, foreign investment restrictions and more. The 25-page document highlights both "policy expectations and practical considerations for integrating research security" into university activities. It's aimed at helping "technology transfer professionals balance their universities’ longstanding commitment to open scientific exchange with increasing federal requirements to safeguard sensitive research outputs, including materials, data, and intellectual property, from unauthorized access, diversion, or foreign exploitation."
The Bureau of Industry and Security needs more resources to address the surge in export license applications that’s expected if its new 50% rule comes back into effect with no changes, industry groups said, adding that otherwise, the agency risks severely delaying or pausing large volumes of trade.
A bill that would require U.S. manufacturers of advanced AI chips to make their products available to American firms before selling them to China “is pretty common sense,” said Daniel Remler, a former State Department official.
The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed a temporary denial order on Russia's Rossiya Airlines, saying the company has continued to illegally operate planes in violation of U.S. export controls, including on flights between Russia and Uzebekistan and Russia and Egypt, as well as domestically within Russia. The agency renewed the denial order for one year from Nov. 4. BIS first suspended the export privileges of the airline in May 2022 (see 2205200008) and has renewed the order multiple times. The order blocks Rossiya from participating in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations.
The U.S. has given Syria a new 180-day sanctions waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 to help the war-torn country continue its rebuilding effort, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Nov. 10.