Space industry associations and companies largely welcomed a recent State Department proposal to modernize U.S. space-related export controls, although they asked for several clarifications, fewer export control guardrails and an extended timeline to allow space firms to update their compliance programs.
The Commerce Department’s fall 2024 regulatory agenda for the Bureau of Industry and Security features a host of new rules that could soon update U.S. export controls, including restrictions on aircraft engines, biological equipment and reporting requirements for certain weapons sales, AI chips.
Physical mechanisms built into AI hardware could represent a “promising new tool” to help the U.S. better control exports of sensitive technologies, including to China, the Center for a New American Security said in a new report this month.
Indium Corp., which the Bureau of Industry and Security earlier this week penalized for violating export controls against Russia (see 2412230052), has since “enhanced” its internal compliance program and improved its compliance training for employees, CEO Ross Berntson said in an emailed statement. Berntson also noted that Indium voluntarily disclosed the issue to BIS and “fully cooperated with the resulting investigation.”
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U.S. quantum technology companies and industry groups urged the Bureau of Industry and Security to maintain the set of deemed export control exclusions outlined in its September rule on certain advanced technologies (see 2409050028), saying that without them the American quantum industry could lose top talent and cede technological leadership to other countries.
The Bureau of Industry and Security fined a U.S.-based electronics manufacturer and supplier for the semiconductor industry $180,000 after it admitted to exporting 11 shipments to Russia without a license. BIS said the company, Indium Corporation of America, which has factories in Asia and Europe, failed to resolve multiple red flags involving shipments of solder wires, solder ribbon and solder preforms to a Russian defense contractor.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending the public comment period for an information collection involving export licensees transferring an active export license to another party. The agency collects information from both parties to make sure shipments exported under the license won’t be diverted or “used for purposes contrary to the authorized use of the approved license.” Comments were previously requested in October (see 2410010014), but BIS is allowing for another 30 days, i.e., by Jan. 22.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is placing new export controls on certain toxins, chemicals and other items that can be used to make bioweapons as part of a final rule to align its restrictions with allies'.
The Bureau of Industry and Security should increase its enforcement of semiconductor export controls to prevent American-made computing chips from ending up in Russian weapons and Chinese artificial intelligence systems, the Democratic majority staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said in a new report released this week.