Tim Warren

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Aug. 23 in San Diego, CBP said in a notice.

The aggregate value limit of $800 per day for informal entry and duty-free treatment for commercial shipments covers retailers, rather than end-purchasers, CBP said in a July 19 ruling, HQ H275530. The ruling followed a request from Arkel about the company's ability to ship bike parts under the de minimis value to be stocked by retail stores in the U.S. Section 321 allows for importations under the de minimis value to enter duty free and with less processing by the government.

CBP hopes a long-discussed update to customs broker regulations in 19 CFR Part 111 will be considered "deregulatory" under the Trump administration's executive order on reducing regulatory burdens (see 1702070048), Robert Altneu, chief of CBP's Trade and Commercial Regualtions Branch, said July 26. That executive order requires that there be two offsetting regulations for every new "significant" regulation, and CBP now believes the Part 111 update could be such an offset, he said. Altneu spoke during a webinar hosted by CBP and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published its updated 2017 regulatory agenda for CBP (here). The agenda doesn't include any new rulemakings involving trade. Previously listed rulemakings, including on the Centers of Excellence and Expertise (here) and Importer Security Filings (here), continue to be on the agenda.

The Treasury Department published an updated 2017 regulatory agenda for CBP (here) that mentions several new rulemakings that weren't included in the last update (see 1611180003). The agenda includes a newly mentioned proposal for updates and modifications to the (a)(1)(A) list of records required for the entry of merchandise (here). That list is included within the appendix to 19 CFR Part 163 (here). CBP seeks to publish the proposal in October, according to the agenda.

Newer models of Fitbit fitness tracking devices that use Bluetooth connections mean the devices deserve classification similar to smart watches, CBP said in an April 5 ruling (here). Fitbit requested a further review of protest after CBP reliquidated a shipment of devices in 2016. CBP reliquidated the entry under heading 9031 as "measuring or checking instruments," the classification used for other Fitbit trackers in the past. The agency reconsidered that classification as a result of new features on the devices, it said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned a Court of International Trade ruling in a July 18 decision on the classification of parts made for the Container Store’s "elfa" modular storage furniture system. The CAFC disagreed with the CIT's finding from last year that the "top tracks and hanging standards" are classifiable as parts of general use, not parts of furniture (see 1601220024). CIT didn't give enough consideration to an explanatory note for heading 8302, which explains that the scope of heading 8302 doesn't include goods that form an "essential part of the structure," the CAFC said in its decision (here).

Hobby Lobby Stores reached a $3 million settlement with the Justice Department over improper imports of Iraqi artifacts, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a July 5 news release (here). The "ancient clay artifacts originated in the area of modern-day Iraq and were smuggled" into the U.S., DOJ alleged in the civil complaint, filed on July 5 (here). The shipping labels "falsely described cuneiform tablets" as tile “samples,” DOJ said. The company must hire customs counsel and customs brokers as part of the settlement.

The Port of Seattle and the Base Metals Center of Excellence and Expertise will hold a seminar on "Steel Identification, Classification and Trade Law" on Aug.16 and 17, CBP said in a June 28 public bulletin. The seminar, which will include presentations from technical, commercial and legal experts from the industry, is meant to "increase the knowledge level" for government officials and customs brokers, it said. This seminar program "has been significantly modified, revised and restructured from previous seminar," it said.

The Federal Communications Commission will consider at its July 13 meeting permanently ending the Form 740 requirements for importing radio frequency devices, the agency said (here). "This requirement has become increasingly outdated and burdensome in light of current importation and marketing practices, the information otherwise collected by CBP itself, and the wealth of information available online," the FCC said. "The Order would also modify Commission rules to clarify the compliance requirements related to imported devices and to provide additional flexibility in certain cases." The FCC order needs approval by the agency and could still be modified. If approved, it would go into effect following publication in the Federal Register.