A senior State Department official this week said the U.S. is planning to eventually include other nations in an ongoing effort to reduce burdensome defense export control requirements for Australia and the U.K. In perhaps the strongest endorsement yet by a U.S. official of the concept, Bonnie Jenkins, undersecretary for arms control and international security, said the U.S. wants to involve other nations after it works through its current process under the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) partnership.
Smith Bagley Inc. (SBi), which serves tribal lands in the Four Corners region of the U.S., called for a tribal 5G Fund of at least $2.5 billion. Reply comments as the FCC considers a proposed 5G Fund (see 2310240046) were due Tuesday in docket 20-32. Other comments urged the FCC to move forward on a fund.
Six users of the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash are appealing a U.S. court decision that upheld sanctions against the cryptocurrency service, saying the Treasury Department illegally stretched its authorities “beyond recognition” when it designated Tornado Cash last year. The six people argued that U.S. sanctions laws don’t allow Treasury to designate an “open-source software project” like Tornado Cash because it doesn’t meet the definition of “property” under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Six users of the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash are appealing a U.S. court decision that upheld sanctions against the cryptocurrency service, saying the Treasury Department illegally stretched its authorities “beyond recognition” when it designated Tornado Cash last year. The six people argued that U.S. sanctions laws don’t allow Treasury to designate an “open-source software project” like Tornado Cash because it doesn’t meet the definition of “property” under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York:
Zhenyu Wang and Daniel Lane, both Texas residents, were convicted on Nov. 15 of attempting to skirt U.S. sanctions on Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, DOJ announced. DOJ said they both tried to "transact in sanctioned Iranian petroleum and launder the proceeds" and were convicted of attempting to violate IEEPA, conspiracy to violate IEEPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Zhenyu Wang and Daniel Lane, both Texas residents, were convicted on Nov. 15 of attempting to skirt U.S. sanctions on Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, DOJ announced. DOJ said they both tried to "transact in sanctioned Iranian petroleum and launder the proceeds" and were convicted of attempting to violate IEEPA, conspiracy to violate IEEPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
President Joe Biden renewed a national emergency authorizing certain sanctions related to Nicaragua, the White House said last week. The situation in Nicaragua, including the "systematic dismantling and undermining of democratic institutions" as well as "indiscriminate violence" and corruption, continues to threaten U.S. national security, Biden said. The emergency for Nicaragua was renewed for one year from Nov. 27.
International collaboration and interoperability are critical as AI develops, panelists said Thursday at the European AI Alliance Assembly in Madrid. Individual nations and regions are considering their approaches to AI regulation. Canada proposed an AI and Data Act in 2022 that takes a framework approach, said Karen Kennedy, Canada's senior trade commissioner. Instead of focusing on every possible risk involved, the measure sets a general risk-based approach, focused on interoperability, which can be shaped over time with further laws and standards. The U.S. wants "digital solidarity" rather than "digital sovereignty" as it moves forward on AI, said Merry Walker, State Department senior adviser to the special envoy for critical and emerging technology. It established an AI bill of rights last year, followed by President Joe Biden's executive order on AI earlier this month. This stopgap measure provides a framework for what the U.S. wants to accomplish while lawmakers consider what to do, she said. The U.S. approach is also risk-based, and emphasizes the importance of testing, monitoring and evaluating throughout the life of AI systems. The U.S. relies heavily on voluntary commitments and is pushing for standard-setting and international cooperation. The U.S. approach is similar to the EU's in its emphasis on standardization, which is important for international cooperation, said Lucilla Siolo, European Commission director for AI and digitalization of industry, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology. Codes of conduct are good, she said, but it's also useful to check how they're implemented and if they're being complied with. Interoperability is key to preventing regulatory fragmentation, said Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development deputy secretary-general: Even among like-minded countries there are differences. This leads to the question of what globally acceptable values can be found, and whether systems can be made interoperable, he said. At least eight initiatives on AI are taking place worldwide. Some, like the U.N. or Group of 20, are broad; others, such as the G7 and the London AI Safety Summit, are narrower. It's too late for everyone to take a single approach, so they must find common ground on principles, Knudsen said. Latin American and Caribbean nations reached a "milestone" two weeks ago when they approved the Santiago Declaration, which will establish an AI working group, said Eleonora Lamm, UNESCO program specialist-social and human services. This will be the first regional governance body on AI, and it will act on the political and technical level, she said.
Major carriers, except for AT&T, and other groups created a group, the Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure (CERCI), to advocate for the future of the 4.9 GHz band, the topic of a January order and Further NPRM from the FCC (see 2301180062). The group opposes giving control of the band to AT&T and FirstNet, it said in a Thursday filing in docket 07-100. CERCI favors a licensing approach where “public-safety licensees would engage in lease arrangements directly with non-public-safety entities and the Band Manager would coordinate and approve the leases.” That approach is the only one “that maintains true local control of this vital public-safety band while enabling [critical infrastructure industry] opportunities,” the filing said. Coalition members are the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Edison Electric Institute, T-Mobile, UScellular, Verizon and the Competitive Carriers Association.