The deadline for the first round of public comments on the future and scope of export controls on emerging technologies under the overhauled Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States is fast-approaching—and trade lawyers say many companies that have a stake in the matter are staying quiet and watching from the sidelines.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security has set a Jan. 10 deadline for receiving comments on the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for “Review of Controls for Certain Emerging Technologies.”  The agency will accept a second round of comments after issuing a proposed rule, which is expected to occur later this year, concerning “emerging and foundational technologies.” Under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, those are technologies “essential to the national security of the United States.”