The Commerce Department is beginning an anticircumvention inquiry to examine whether imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film made in Bahrain from inputs sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India are circumventing antidumping duties on PET film from the UAE (A-520-803). A group of domestic PET film manufacturers alleges JBF RAK in the UAE is providing the inputs to JBF Bahrain S.P.C., and says the resulting product should still be considered to be of UAE origin and subject to AD duties. Commerce’s preliminary results are due in May 2015. If at that time the agency preliminarily finds circumvention, it will suspend liquidation and require cash deposits on the PET film JBF makes in Bahrain from UAE and Indian-origin inputs.
The Commerce Department issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on hand trucks and parts thereof from China (A-570-891). Commerce calculated a zero percent AD duty rate for New-Tec Integration (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., and found the only other company under review, Yangjiang Shunhe Industrial Co., Ltd., did not have any reviewable shipments to the U.S. during the relevant period.
The Commerce Department issued its final determinations in the antidumping duty investigations on ferrosilicon from Russia and Venezuela, finding dumping by Venezuelan exporters but not Russian companies and therefore exempting Russia from AD duties. Commerce's July 25 fact sheet says it calculated a 22.84% AD duty rate for Venezuelan producers. But just as it had in its preliminary determination, Commerce calculated a zero rate for the only Russian company under investigation. Commerce will now terminate the AD duty investigation on ferrosilicon from Russia, and will not issue an AD duty order. The agency will direct CBP to continue to collect AD duty cash deposits on subject merchandise from Venezuela.
The Commerce Department will soon begin requiring antidumping duty cash deposits on crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from China and Taiwan, it said in a fact sheet issued July 25. Cash deposit rates will range from 27.59% to 44.18% for Taiwan and 10.74% to 165.04% for China. Solar products from China are already subject to suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements of estimated countervailing duties (see 14060914). Commerce says it's still considering the controversial scope of duties, which also covers solar panels and other solar products assembled in China and Taiwan from solar cells produced in a third-country using Chinese or Taiwanese inputs. The final determination in this investigation is currently due in December. ITT will have more details on the preliminary rates when Commerce publishes its preliminary determination in the Federal Register.
A key House Democrat plans to make data caps a priority this week. House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., plans a briefing Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. in room H-137 of the Capitol to highlight the findings of a GAO study on the topic she requested. GAO staff will also attend the briefing. “The GAO will outline their preliminary findings from consumer focus groups conducted nationwide and interviews with key stakeholders, including broadband providers, Internet companies and consumer groups,” Eshoo said in a statement. “As the FCC continues to seek comment on its proposed net neutrality rules, it’s more important than ever that policymakers understand data caps and how they might enable broadband providers to circumvent open Internet rules that ensure consumers have uninhibited access to the Internet.” Eight focus groups were held across four U.S. cities, an Eshoo aide told us Friday. Eshoo intends to submit these findings to the FCC as part of its net neutrality proceeding, the aide said. He emphasized that the concerns about data caps are really not so different from those for paid prioritization deals -- and more importantly, aren’t hypothetical, with major companies moving forward with plans that feature sponsored data and caps. The overall attention on net neutrality makes this issue especially relevant, the aide said.
A key House Democrat plans to make data caps a priority this week. House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., plans a briefing Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. in room H-137 of the Capitol to highlight the findings of a GAO study on the topic she requested. GAO staff will also attend the briefing. “The GAO will outline their preliminary findings from consumer focus groups conducted nationwide and interviews with key stakeholders, including broadband providers, Internet companies and consumer groups,” Eshoo said in a statement. “As the FCC continues to seek comment on its proposed net neutrality rules, it’s more important than ever that policymakers understand data caps and how they might enable broadband providers to circumvent open Internet rules that ensure consumers have uninhibited access to the Internet.” Eight focus groups were held across four U.S. cities, an Eshoo aide told us Friday. Eshoo intends to submit these findings to the FCC as part of its net neutrality proceeding, the aide said. He emphasized that the concerns about data caps are really not so different from those for paid prioritization deals -- and more importantly, aren’t hypothetical, with major companies moving forward with plans that feature sponsored data and caps. The overall attention on net neutrality makes this issue especially relevant, the aide said.
The Commerce Department published notices in the July 25 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department is beginning an antidumping duty new shipper review on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China (A-570-979) at the request of Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics Co., Ltd., for merchandise both produced and exported by the company. Commerce will determine if DMEGC is independent from state control, and therefore eligible for an estimated AD cash deposit rate other than the high 249.96% China-wide entity rate it currently receives.
The Commerce Department issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on stainless steel bar from India (A-533-810). Commerce determined the only company under review, Ambica Steels Limited, did not undersell subject merchandise during the period of review, assigning the company a zero percent AD duty rate. Subject merchandise from Ambica entered between Feb. 1, 2012 and Jan. 31, 2013 will be liquidated without any assessment of AD duties, and future entries of stainless steel bar exported by Ambica will not be subject to AD duty cash deposit requirements until further notice. The new AD duty cash deposit rate takes effect July 28.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on chlorinated isocyanurates from China (A-570-898). The agency calculated a preliminary AD rate of zero percent for Hebei Jiheng, preliminarily found dumping by the other mandatory respondent, Kangtai, and preliminarily assigned three non-individually investigated companies an average rate.