For the third time, House Oversight Committee Democrats urged an investigation into allegations that News Corp. hacked telephones of 9/11 victims and other U.S. citizens. Monday’s letter to Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., had eight signatures -- the most yet -- including Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, and John Tierney, D-Mass. The Democrats said it was “unacceptable” that Issa did not reply to two separate July letters from Braley and Tierney. The Democrats don’t want to “interfere unduly” with the Justice Department’s investigation, “but we request that the Committee at least take preliminary steps to determine how to proceed, such as meeting with the September 11th families, consulting with the Department of Justice, and pursuing other measures the Committee has utilized in many other investigations.” The committee “has a responsibility to protect the interests of U.S. citizens against the illegal actions of corporations, regardless of their political leanings,” they said.
The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam (A-552-802), which sets the AD duty cash deposit rates for 30 companies (and their affiliates) and the Vietnam-wide entity. These rates, which are officially effective September 12, 2011, are expected to be implemented by CBP soon.
The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of its antidumping duty administrative review of small diameter graphite electrodes from China (A-570-929), which sets the AD duty cash deposit rates for three separate rate respondents and the China-wide entity. These rates, which are officially effective September 13, 2011, are expected to be implemented by CBP soon.
For the third time, House Oversight Committee Democrats urged an investigation into allegations that News Corp. hacked telephones of 9/11 victims and other U.S. citizens. Monday’s letter to Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., had eight signatures -- the most yet -- including Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, and John Tierney, D-Mass. The Democrats said it was “unacceptable” that Issa did not reply to two separate July letters from Braley and Tierney. The Democrats don’t want to “interfere unduly” with the Justice Department’s investigation, “but we request that the Committee at least take preliminary steps to determine how to proceed, such as meeting with the September 11th families, consulting with the Department of Justice, and pursuing other measures the Committee has utilized in many other investigations.” The committee “has a responsibility to protect the interests of U.S. citizens against the illegal actions of corporations, regardless of their political leanings,” they said.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted to CBP's Web site as of September 9, 2011, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. These messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov.
The Office of Textiles and Apparel has issued monthly reports containing official July 2011 trade data from the Census Bureau for U.S. imports and exports of textiles and apparel.
An AT&T/T-Mobile combination is good for consumers and would “free up spectrum and create substantial new capacity to meet the spectacular growth in demand resulting from an increasingly on-line world,” said AT&T, T-Mobile USA and parent Deutsche Telekom Friday in a filing in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The companies formally responded to the complaint filed by the Justice Department against the AT&T/T-Mobile deal (CD Sept 1 p1). The case will be heard by Judge Ellen Huvelle, who scheduled a preliminary hearing for Sept. 21. “Plaintiff’s Complaint … fails to depict accurately the state of competition in mobile telecommunications today, the dynamic nature of the wireless industry, or the procompetitive and pro-consumer impact of this transaction,” the companies said. “Wireless competition is fierce: prices have declined steadily, output is expanding, technological innovation is occurring at an extraordinary pace, and new providers with innovative business models have successfully entered and expanded.” The combined company would face competition from Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS, Leap/Cricket and numerous other carriers, the filing said. “The Department does not and cannot explain how, in the face of all of these aggressive rivals, the combined AT&T/T-Mobile will have any ability or incentive to restrict output, raise prices, or slow innovation.” DOJ also doesn’t explain how T-Mobile, “the only major carrier to have actually lost subscribers in a robustly growing market, provides a unique competitive constraint on AT&T,” the filing said. The companies argue that the transaction is critical so AT&T can get the spectrum it needs to meet “customers’ insatiable and growing demand for wireless data,” which “is placing unprecedented strains on AT&T’s network and is impairing its ability to continue to meet explosive mobile broadband demands.” “AT&T’s court filing does not change the facts,” Sprint Nextel said in response. “This proposed takeover would create a clear wireless duopoly that could raise prices, stifle innovation and cost American jobs."
The International Trade Administration is publishing notices in the September 12, 2011 Federal Register on the following AD/CV proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, the scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The International Trade Administration has issued the preliminary results of an antidumping duty administrative review on certain steel nails from China (A-570-909) for 18 manufacturer/exporters and the China-wide entity. These preliminary results are not in effect, may change in the final results, and could affect the estimated AD cash deposit rates for these firms.
LightSquared offered to make some operational adjustments to its rollout plans as part of the continued effort to mitigate the disruption of GPS signals. LightSquared filed a technical presentation Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bmcxfm) at the FCC detailing the changes as part of an ex parte filing and provided information on the filing to reporters Friday. GPS interests were still reviewing the proposed changes, but reacted with initial skepticism. A LightSquared executive, who refused to be identified, said the government agencies seem to be in a “decision-making mode,” based on recent interactions.