CBP issued a Sept. 13 final determination concluding that Japan is the country of origin for NEC iPasolink 250 and 650 microwave radios. The digital microwave radios are used for wireless point-to-point communications, and their hybrid nature “enables the simultaneous transmission of both Time Division Multiplexed and ethernet-based data in their native formats.” According to a letter from the Office of International Trade, the radios are comprised of two main units, the indoor unit (IDU) and the transmitter-receiver unit chassis (TRX). The TRX, along with the radio’s branching circuit and modem, are manufactured in Japan, while the radio’s IDU, main card, tributary unit, the power supply unit and fans are manufactured in India. These components are then shipped to the U.S. for assembly, testing and software customization.
CBP released a draft agenda for the recently announced Oct. 24-25 Trade Symposium (see 13091711). House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Deputy Secretary General Sergio Mujica for the World Customs Organization will give the keynote addresses. Session topics will include the Centers of Excellence and Expertise and the coming pilot program combining trusted trader programs.
CBP issued a Sept. 11 final determination concluding that China is the country of origin of CyberPoint International’s video teleconferencing server Prescient T7-FW. The server, which captures motion picture images and sound and sends them digitally, ensures that the digital data is sent securely between two units via Ethernet. CBP said the key hardware components of the server are the video board, which converts image and sound into digital data, and the filter board that is programmed with Linus software to protect the Ethernet connection from malware infiltration. The video board is manufactured in China and “has connections for various video input and output formats, two USB connections and two Ethernet connections,” CBP said. The filter board that provides the necessary and secure LAN connection of the server is also made from a DreamPlug unit manufactured in China, though it is programmed with software and reinstalled later in the U.S., according a letter from the Office of International Trade. The server’s power supply and metal case are also produced in China.
CBP’s acting commissioner Thomas Winkowski said the agency has made significant progress with Beyond the Border Action Plan initiatives towards U.S.-Canada cooperation despite budget restraints, during a Sept. 13 U.S.-Canada Border conference. Of the 32 initiatives, Winkowski said that CBP is involved in 15 and has interest in five others that will add "momentum to CBP’s modernization efforts such as early analysis of flows of goods and travelers, effective risk management, and streamlining trade processing.”
CBP posted a Sept. 16 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Sept. 16. The corresponding downloadable rulings are now available.
CBP released a list of the nine customs brokerages chosen to test CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program (see 13041623). The brokerages are:
The Port of Boston stopped printing paper copies of the bulletin notices of liquidation (CBP Form 4333), said CBP's Boston field office in a public information notice. Effective Sept. 9, the bulletin notices are available in an electronic format on a public access computer in the port's file room, the notice said. The CBP Seattle field office recently made a similar change (see 13060316) and CBP in general is in the process of making more bulletins electronically available (see 13050924).
Brokers and entry filers at the Port of Champlain have been wrongly filing informal entries for U.S. Goods Returned (USGR) that should be entered formally, according to a Sept. 16 notice sent out by the port’s CBP entry division. CBP Champlain told brokers and entry filers that they should take immediate action to ensure that they are in compliance with 19 CFR 143.21. Future violations could result in broker penalties under 19 USC 1641 for failure to exercise reasonable supervision and control, it said.
CBP released its Sept. 18 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 47, No. 39). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent general notices and Court of International Trade decisions.