The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a final rule, effective November 5, 20071, which revises the Export Administration Regulations to implement changes to the (1) Wassenaar Arrangement's List of Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar List), and (2) Statements of Understanding maintained and agreed to by governments participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar Arrangement, or WA), as agreed upon in the December 2006 Wassenaar Arrangement Plenary Meeting.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a final rule, effective November 5, 20071, which revises the Export Administration Regulations to implement changes to the (1) Wassenaar Arrangement's List of Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar List), and (2) Statements of Understanding maintained and agreed to by governments participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar Arrangement, or WA), as agreed upon in the December 2006 Wassenaar Arrangement Plenary Meeting.
After years of campaigning to make producers responsible for obsolete computers, environmental groups are focusing on TVs, citing the February 2009 analog shutoff and CEA data that project 30 million digital TV sales in 2007. The Electronics TakeBack Coalition wants consumers to press TV makers to “take responsibility for their products once they are obsolete,” said Barbara Kyle, the group’s national coordinator. The group will lobby state legislators for measures addressing the impending flow of analog TVs into the waste stream, she said.
E-911 location issues were the topic of discussion last week as the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, the National Association of State 911 Administrators, the Voice On the Net Coalition and CTIA met. “The meeting’s discussions served a significant role in enabling interested parties to assess 911 location technologies so that everyone operates with the same factual information where possible,” the groups said in a written statement. “We hope that this event will jumpstart further discussions.”
The Journal of Commerce reports that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Clean Truck Plans did not contain the Teamster-backed plan to use employee drivers instead of independent truck contractors, nor the proposals for truck-operating concessions or a dirty-truck fee, apparently due to the threat of legal action and disapproval from Washington. (JoC 11/05/07, www.joc.com )
State regulators adopted two policy resolutions on numbering at their annual convention in Anaheim, Calif. The motions approved by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners board call for the FCC to adopt a one- business-day number porting interval on simple wireline-to- wireline ports and urge that all interconnected VoIP providers be allowed direct access to the national phone number supply. The resolutions must be accepted by the convention as a whole before becoming NARUC policy, but rejection of board-approved resolutions rarely happens. The convention was to end Wednesday.
Public safety has gone back to the drawing board to revise its requirements for the nationwide broadband wireless to be built by private industry, according to several people involved in the process. The first draft released late last month was too restrictive and could have possibly resulted in there being few bidders for the 10 MHz nationwide license, they said. Under FCC rules, the D-block winner must enter into a network sharing agreement with public safety. The NSA calls for private industry to build public safety’s interoperable broadband network and will give public safety access to the commercial spectrum during times of emergencies.
Next year will be the “most impactful year” for American Tower “with respect to emerging and regional carriers,” particularly MetroPCS and Leap Wireless, CEO Jim Taiclet said during the company’s Q3 analyst call Wednesday. “We expect meaningful increases in new site deployments” by the prepay carriers since “both companies have made progress in planning and staffing for the deployment of their auction 66 markets,” he said. By 2009, Metro and Leap will have the “equivalent” of a fifth national network regardless of whether they merge because “there is little overlap in their respective licenses,” he added. However, the top four U.S. carriers will continue to represent the majority of American Tower business, Taiclet said. “AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon will add sites for quality of service and coverage, while continuing to augment selected sites with 3G service-related equipment,” he said. AT&T’s recent buy of Aloha spectrum and its “stated intention” to bid in the 700 MHz auction indicates that AT&T and other incumbent carriers are preparing for additional high-speed deployments in the future, he said. American Tower is also optimistic about the Sprint and Clearwire-led WiMAX emergence, and expects the “initial deployment” of the technology in 2008, he said. Government will be another source of business. American Tower is “positioned well” to capture business created by the FAA’s next-generation air traffic control system, he said. In the third quarter, American Tower saw revenue increase 10 percent year-over-year to $376.6 million and earnings increase 14 percent to $248.6 million. It built 42 towers and completed six in-building installations in the quarter, expects to have 165 new sites completed for the full year, and predicts 250 to 350 new towers in 2008, said Chief Financial Officer Brad Singer. The tower company’s success was driven by “continued robust demand for tower space and diligent operational execution by our managers and employees,” Taiclet said. Also Wednesday, American Tower said National Grid Wireless CEO Steve Marshall has joined American as International Business Development executive vice president.
China's Ministry of Commerce has issued a bulletin announcing that the Chinese government has suspended or revoked the export quality certificates of 764 toy manufacturers located in the Guandong Province. A further 690 manufacturers were ordered to renovate their manufacturing facilities and improve product quality within a set period of time. (MOFCOM bulletin, dated 11/07/07, available at http://ccne.mofcom.gov.cn/bulletin/index.php?flag=1584)
The Food and Drug Administration has issued its Supplement to the 2005 Food Code to reflect the current science, emerging food safety issues, and imminent health hazards related to food safety. The Supplement addresses several recommendations made by the 2006 Conference for Food Protection (CFP) with which the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agree.