Responding to an exporter’s comments on remand results (see 2412230074), the government said Feb. 3 that the Commerce Department fully complied with a second remand order by the Court of International Trade (see 2406270043). The trade court had ordered it to further explain its selection of a second mandatory respondent in a separate rate review on passenger vehicle and light truck tires from China (YC Rubber Co. (North America) v. U.S., CIT # 19-00069).

The Computer & Communications Industry Association raised concerns Friday about reports that the U.K. government has ordered Apple to create a backdoor in its devices, giving security services access to users’ encrypted Apple files worldwide. The order was apparently issued under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act, CCIA said. “As the recent Salt Typhoon breach makes clear, end-to-end encryption may be the only safeguard standing between Americans' sensitive personal and business data and foreign adversaries,” said CCIA President and CEO Matt Schruers: “Decisions about Americans' privacy and security should be made in America, in an open and transparent fashion, not through secret orders from abroad requiring keys be left under doormats.” Apple didn't comment.

The FCC doesn’t have plans to withdraw or revise its Form 395-B data collection despite the agency opting not to defend language in the order recognizing nonbinary gender (see 2502040061), the FCC told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a letter in docket 24-60219 Wednesday. “There therefore remains a live controversy between the parties over the order’s lawfulness.” The letter appears to be a response to concerns judges raised during oral argument Tuesday that the FCC could act to withdraw or moot the case while the court is working on an opinion. Broadcast attorneys told us this week they were concerned the court might opt not to rule on the order in the wake of the FCC’s decision not to defend part of it.

The Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA) would create redundant and conflicting regulations due to existing children’s privacy protections, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation said Thursday.

The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York:

The U.S. government fully supported the Commerce Department's decision not to use adverse facts available against exporter Can Tho Import Export Seafood Joint Stock Co. in the 2020-21 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on frozen fish fillets from Vietnam, the exporter argued in a Feb. 5 reply brief at the Court of International Trade. Can Tho Import Export said Commerce properly found that the respondent fully cooperated in the review and that Commerce correctly rejected the petitioner's allegation of a ministerial error (Catfish Farmers of America v. United States, CIT # 24-00082).

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, acknowledged Wednesday that newly announced NTIA administrator nominee Arielle Roth may draw panel Democrats’ ire during her confirmation process over potential changes from the Trump administration and Congress to the $42.5 billion NTIA-administered BEAD program. Senate Commerce advanced commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick to the floor 16-12 Wednesday, as expected (see 2502040056), against near-uniform Democratic opposition aimed in part at his positions on BEAD. The panel also cleared a revised version of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S-315) and three other tech and telecom bills: the Rural Broadband Protection Act (S-98), Insure Cybersecurity Act (S-245) and Kids Off Social Media Act (S-278).

CTIA hopes the Donald Trump administration will continue the spectrum studies launched under the national spectrum strategy, though potentially with tweaks to account for earlier studies, said Doug Brake, CTIA assistant vice president-policy communications, during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday.

Oklahoma Rep. Josh West (R) said he won't bring his comprehensive privacy bill to the floor this year, despite the House Government Modernization and Technology Subcommittee clearing it at a Wednesday meeting. The panel also cleared an age-verification bill.

Howard Lutnick, whose nomination advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee Feb. 2 with a 16-12 vote, told senators from both parties that, despite the president's announcements that he would have "direct responsibilities over the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative," the scope of responsibilities for the USTR won't change, and his agency will coordinate with others working on trade policy.