FMC TO MONITOR ACCESS FEES TO CARRIER WEB SITES

FMC TO MONITOR ACCESS FEES TO CARRIER WEB SITES    The Federal Maritime Commission plans to mail letters to carriers reminding them of the rules governing accessibility to tariffs on the Internet, FMC Commissioner Joseph E. Brennan told a meeting of customs brokers and forwarders in Arizona Tuesday.
   Brennan said that some carriers are charging fees as high as $1,500 to forwarders and shippers to access carrier Web sites that publish tariffs.
   Some carriers seem to be “thumbing their noses” at FMC rules that say carriers must provide ready access to rates on the Internet, he said.
   Mailing letters to carriers reminding them of the rules instituted by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act is the FMC's first step. The commission hopes it will not have to “resort to enforcement,” Brennan said.
   Under OSRA, carriers no longer have to file tariffs at the FMC. But they must provide public access to tariffs.
   Brennan said some of the fees that carriers are charging may be “unreasonable.”