The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted 5-0 Thursday to move forward on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) on amending state USF rules. The PUC during a livestreamed meeting approved a bid by Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille to seek comment on what she said are “broad questions about the challenges of supporting voice and internet networks and services” as part of the ANOPR. The PUC postponed considering the rulemaking proposal in early August (see 2308020057). Comments on the ANOPR in docket L-2023-3040646 are due 90 days after its publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, with replies due within 120 days.
The Commerce Department offered greater explanations of its treatment of four types of income related to the selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense ratio for surrogate company Ayes in the antidumping duty investigation on metal lockers from China. Submitting its remand results to the Court of International Trade Aug. 23, the agency stuck by its treatment of shipping revenue, incentive income, interest income and rental income in setting the SG&A ratio (List Industries v. U.S., CIT # 21-00521).
The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide any rationale for adding Chinese printer cartridge manufacturer Ninestar Corp., along with eight of its Zhuhai-based subsidiaries, to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, the companies, led by Ninestar, argued (Ninestar Corp., et al. v. U.S., CIT # 23-00182).
LTD Broadband said there’s no urgent need for the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to resume proceedings on revoking LTD Broadband’s eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) winner disagreed with state industry groups and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) in reply comments filed Monday in docket 22-221. "The contention of these parties that LTD’s FCC application could suddenly spring to life and result in LTD obtaining immediate authorization for [RDOF] support, thereby barring others from seeking alternative funding for broadband deployment, has no basis in fact," the ISP said.
The wireless industry asked the FCC to go slow on major changes to wireless emergency alerts, in reply comments posted Tuesday in docket 15-91. Commenters also raised privacy concerns. A Further NPRM, approved by commissioners 4-0 in April, proposed to require participating providers to ensure mobile devices can translate alerts into the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the U.S. aside from English, to send thumbnail-sized images in WEA messages, and other changes (see 2304200040).
The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide any rationale for adding Chinese printer cartridge manufacturer Ninestar Corp., along with eight of its Zhuhai-based subsidiaries, to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, the companies, led by Ninestar, argued (Ninestar Corp., et al. v. U.S., CIT # 23-00182).
The Aug. 7 opposition of Legacy Equity Advisors to AT&T’s July 17 motion to dismiss (see 2308080037) can’t save its complaint from dismissal, said AT&T’s reply Monday (docket 3:23-cv-00979) in U.S. District Court for Northern Texas in Dallas. The private equity firm alleges AT&T violated Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act when it blocked the firm from bidding on assets AT&T was divesting, including DirecTV, Cricket Wireless, AT&T’s Puerto Rican wireless operations and a tranche of 88 retail stores, due to the firm’s African American ownership and management.
The statute of limitations for CBP to collect on customs bonds runs six years from the date of the underlying entry's liquidation, not from the date that CBP demanded payment, the Court of International Trade said in an opinion released publicly on Aug. 22, rejecting CBP's bid to collect on a 20-year-old customs bond.
Former President Donald Trump is considering making hiking tariffs on all imports a plank of his reelection campaign, as he discussed recently on Fox Business. According to a Washington Post story, although Trump said on TV that he liked the idea of a 10% duty on all imports, he has not settled on a number yet. Trump's former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in January 2021 that all countries should have a 10% to 12% tariff on all imports, with higher tariffs for particularly important products (see 2101260048).
A bill that would restrict California regulators’ discretion to make extra rules for NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program dismayed local and consumer advocates. With a month left in session, California legislators are also weighing broadband bills to require wireless eligibility for federal funding and to streamline broadband permitting. Assembly Communications Committee Chair Tasha Boerner (D) said the goal of her BEAD bill (AB-662) is to bring “accountability” to the California Public Utilities Commission.