Published in the Federal Register December 21, 2016.

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

AGENCY:  Postal Service™.

ACTION:  Final Rule.

SUMMARY:

On October 12, 2016, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective January 22, 2017.  This final rule contains the revisions to Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) that we will adopt to implement the changes coincident with the price adjustments.

DATES:  Effective date:  January 22, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Audrey Meloni at (856) 933-4360, or Lizbeth Dobbins at (202) 268-3789.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Final prices are available under Docket Number R2017-1 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's website at www.prc.gov.

The Postal Service's final rule includes:  changes to prices, several mail classification updates, mailpiece marking changes, modifications to mailpiece weights and mail preparation categories, multiple product simplification efforts, a few minor revisions to the DMM to condense language and eliminate redundancy, a change to the redemption period of a money order claim from two years to one year, the addition of Official Mail Accounting System (OMAS) stamp shipment fee language, and updates to Enterprise Post Office Box Online (ePOBOL) process that change payment periods for online Post Office Box activity.  Changes to Collect On Delivery will be published in a future final rule.

Published in the Federal Register October 26, 2016.

International Product and Price Changes

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM^®), to reflect the prices, product features, and classification changes to Competitive Services, as established by the Governors of the Postal Service.

DATES:  Effective date:  January 22, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Paula Rabkin at 202-268-2537.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  New prices will be posted under Docket Number CP2017-20 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's website at http://www.prc.gov.

This final rule describes the international price and classification changes and the corresponding mailing standards changes for the following Competitive Services: 

• Global Express Guaranteed^® (GXG^®);
• International Priority Airmail^® (IPA^®);
• International Surface Air Lift^® (ISAL^®);
• Direct Sacks of Printed Matter to One Addressee (Airmail M-bag^®); and
• International Extra Services:

- Priority Mail Express International^® (PMEI) Insurance and Priority Mail International^® (PMI) Insurance,

- Registered Mail^™ Service,

- International Postal Money Orders, and

- Pickup on Demand^®.

New prices will be located on the Postal Explorer^® website at http://pe.usps.com.

Published in Federal Register October 26, 2016.

Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards Changes

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service is amending Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^â), to reflect changes to prices and mailing standards for competitive products.

DATES: Effective Date: January 22, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Karen Key at (202) 268-7492 or Garry Rodriguez at (202) 268-7281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This final rule describes new prices and product features for competitive products, by class of mail, established by the Governors of the United States Postal Service^â. New prices are available under Docket Number CP2017-20 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's (PRC) web site at http://www.prc.gov, and also located on the Postal Explorer^® website at http://pe.usps.com.

The Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), to reflect changes to prices and mailing standards for the following competitive products:

• Priority Mail Express^®.
• Priority Mail^®.
• First-Class Package Service^®.
• Parcel Select^®.
• USPS Retail Ground^™.
• Extra Services.
• Return Services.
• Mailer Services.
• Recipient Services.

Published in the Federal Register October 17, 2016

International Mailing Services:  Proposed Price Changes

AGENCY: Postal Service^™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:

In October 2016, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for products and services covered by Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM^®), to be effective on January 22, 2017. The Postal Service will revise Notice 123, Price List on Postal Explorer^® at http://pe.usps.com to reflect the new prices.

DATES:  We must receive your comments on or before November 16, 2016.

ADDRESSES:  Mail or deliver comments to the manager, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service^®, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, RM 4446, Washington DC 20260-5015. You may inspect and photocopy all written comments at USPS^® Headquarters Library, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, 11th Floor N, Washington DC by appointment only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday by calling 1-202-268-2906 in advance. Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: ProductClassification@usps.gov, with a subject line of “January 2017 International Mailing Services Price Change.” Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Paula Rabkin at 202-268-2537

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Postal Service hereby gives notice that, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3622, on October 12, 2016, it filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a Notice of Market-Dominant Price Adjustment. Proposed prices and other documents relevant to this filing are available under Docket No. R2017-1 on the PRC’s website at www.prc.gov.

This proposed rule includes price changes for certain international extra services.

Published in the Federal Register October 17, 2016

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Proposed Rule.

SUMMARY:

In October 2016, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective January 22, 2017. This proposed rule contains the revisions to Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) that we would adopt to implement the changes coincident with the price adjustments.

DATES:  We must receive comments on or before November 16, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the manager, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service^®, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington DC 20260-5015. You may inspect and photocopy all written comments at USPS^® Headquarters Library, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, 11^th Floor N, Washington DC by appointment only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling 1-202-268-2906 in advance. Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: ProductClassification@usps.gov, with a subject line of "January 2017 Domestic Mailing Services Proposal." Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Audrey Meloni at (856) 933-4360 or Lizbeth Dobbins at (202) 268-3789.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed prices will be available under Docket Number(s) R2017-1 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's website at www.prc.gov.

The Postal Service's proposed rule includes: Changes to prices, several mail classification updates, mailpiece marking changes, modifications to mailpiece weights and mail preparation categories,  multiple product simplification efforts, a few minor revisions to the DMM to condense language and eliminate redundancy, a change to the redemption period of a money order claim from two years to one year, the addition of Official Mail Accounting System (OMAS) stamp shipment fee language, and updates to Enterprise Post Office Box Online (ePOBOL) process that changes payment periods for online Post Office Box activity.

Published in the Federal Register September 30, 2016.

Enterprise Payment System and Enterprise PO Boxes Online

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) to provide an enhanced method for commercial customers to pay for and manage their services online using a single account.

DATES: Effective Date: September 30, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Ingrid Molinary at (202) 268-4138 or Jacqueline Erwin at (202) 268-2158.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Postal Service published an interim final rule (81 FR 48711) on July 26, 2016, to enhance online payment options for commercial customers, with a comment period which ended August 26, 2016. The Postal Service did not receive any customer comments.

The U.S. Postal Service is upgrading its payment architecture for business customers. The new Enterprise Payment System (EPS) will replace the current product-centric payment system with a centralized account management system enabling commercial customers to pay for and manage their services online using a single account.

Published in the Federal Register September 29, 2016.

International Mail Manual; Incorporation by Reference

AGENCY:  Postal Service™.

ACTION:  Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service announces the issuance of the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM^®) dated July 11, 2016, and its incorporation by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations.

DATES:  This final rule is effective on September 29, 2016.  The incorporation by reference of the IMM is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of September 29, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Lizbeth Dobbins, (202) 268-3789.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The International Mail Manual was issued on July 11, 2016, and was updated with Postal Bulletin revisions through June 23, 2016.  It replaced all previous editions.  The IMM continues to enable the Postal Service to fulfill its long-standing mission of providing affordable, universal mail service.  It continues to:  (1) increase the user’s ability to find information; (2) increase the user’s confidence that they have found the information they need; and (3) reduce the need to consult multiple sources to locate necessary information.  The provisions throughout this issue support the standards and mail preparation changes implemented since the version of January 25, 2015.  The International Mail Manual is available to the public on the Postal Explorer^® Internet site at http://pe.usps.com.

Published in the Federal Register September 29, 2016.

Domestic Mail Manual; Incorporation by Reference

AGENCY:  Postal Service™.

ACTION:  Final rule.

SUMMARY:

 The Postal Service announces the issuance of the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) dated July 11, 2016, and its incorporation by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations.

DATES:  This final rule is effective on September 29, 2016.  The incorporation by reference of the DMM dated July 11, 2016, is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of September 29, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Lizbeth Dobbins (202) 268-3789.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The most recent issue of the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) is dated July 11, 2016.  This issue of the DMM contains all Postal Service domestic mailing standards, and continues to:  (1) increase the user’s ability to find information; (2) increase confidence that users have found all the information they need; and (3) reduce the need to consult multiple chapters of the Manual to locate necessary information.  The issue dated July 11, 2016, sets forth specific changes, including new standards throughout the DMM to support the standards and mail preparation changes implemented since the version issued on January 25, 2015.

Published in the Federal Register July 26, 2016.

Enterprise Payment System and Enterprise PO Boxes Online

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Interim final rule with request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) to provide an enhanced method for commercial customers to pay for and manage their services online using a single account.

DATES:  Effective date: September 6, 2016.

Comment deadline:  Comments must be received on or before August 26, 2016.

ADDRESSES:  Mail or deliver written comments to the manager, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service^®, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015. If sending comments by email, include the name and address of the commenter and send to ProductClassification@usps.gov, with a subject line of “Enterprise PO Box Online System.” Faxed comments are not accepted. You may inspect and photocopy all written comments, by appointment only, at USPS^® Headquarters Library, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, 11^th Floor North, Washington, DC, 20260. These records are available for review on Monday through Friday, 9 am - 4 pm, by calling 202-268-2906.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Ingrid Molinary at (202) 268-4138 or Jacqueline Erwin at (202) 268-2158.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Postal Service continues to seek opportunities to work with mailers to improve products and services. Therefore, we have established a method for commercial customers to pay for and manage their services online using a single account.

The U.S. Postal Service is upgrading its payment architecture for business customers. The new Enterprise Payment System (EPS) will replace the current product-centric payment system with a centralized account management system enabling commercial customers to pay for and manage their services online using a single account.

Published in the Federal Register July 21, 2016

New Hazardous Materials Packaging Provisions

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service will revise Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Publication 52), to provide revised standards for its hazardous materials Small Quantity Provision and to add a new Excepted Quantity Provision. Publication 52 was developed to provide expanded requirements for the mailing of hazardous, restricted, and perishable materials.

DATES:  Effective date:  August 4, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Kevin Gunther (202) 268-7208.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview:

U.S. Postal Service^® Publication 52 provides mailing standards specific to hazardous, restricted and perishable items and materials. Pursuant to the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) section 601.8.2, Publication 52 applies to the mailability of hazardous materials.

Revisions to Publication 52:

The Postal Service is making these revisions in order to more closely align with the Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) January 14, 2009 changes to regulations for the transportation of specified hazardous materials shipped in small quantities.

PHMSA announced the adoption of their Excepted Quantity regulations on January 14, 2009, via Docket HM-215J. As part of this rulemaking, PHMSA maintained its then-current allowances for small quantities of Division 2.2, Class 3, Division 4.1, Division 4.2 (Packing Group II and III), Division 4.3 (Packing Group II and III), Division 5.1, Division 5.2, Division 6.1, Class 7, Class 8, and Class 9 materials transported by highway and rail. Also at this time, PHMSA adopted the United Nations (UN) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Excepted Quantity regulations for transportation by aircraft or vessel. PHMSA stated it believed that aligning the existing Small Quantity regulations with the Excepted Quantity regulations for air and vessel transportation would enhance harmonization and increase safety. With this revision, PHMSA revised its Small Quantity regulations (49 CFR173.4) to apply to domestic highway and rail transportation only and added a new section 173.4a which matches international Excepted Quantity regulations for air and vessel transportation.

Published in the Federal Register July 7, 2016.

Clarification of the Move Update Standard 

AGENCY:  Postal Service™. 

ACTION:  Notice. 

SUMMARY:

 This notice provides information to clarify Move Update standards and to assist mailers in their compliance with those standards.

DATES:  Effective:  July 1, 2016. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Direct questions or comments to Charles

B. Hunt by email at charles.b.hunt@usps.gov or phone (901) 681-4651.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS^®) receives recurring inquiries from the mailing industry relative to the standards for Move Update services. This notice is intended to clarify Move Update requirements in relation to discount mail preparation prices for all commercial mailers, including those authorized as 99 Percent Accurate and Legal Restraint customers.

Later in this document, inquiries from mailers and USPS responses are outlined to further clarify this notice.

Overview

Nearly 40 million people (or about 12 percent of the U.S. population) change their addresses each year. To minimize undeliverable and discarded mail, it is essential that mailing address lists are kept up-to-date. USPS Move Update services are designed for this purpose.

Published in the Federal Register July 6, 2016.

Address Quality Census Measurement and Assessment Process

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Proposed rule; revision; additional comment period.

SUMMARY:

 The Postal Service is revising its pending proposal to amend Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®), to include a newly proposed measurement and assessment procedure for evaluating address quality for mailers who enter eligible letter- and flat-size pieces of First-Class Mail^® (FCM) and Standard Mail^® that meet the requirements for Basic or Full-Service mailings.   

DATES:  Submit comments on or before August 5, 2016.

ADDRESSES:  Mail or deliver written comments to the manager, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015. If sending comments by email, include the name and address of the commenter and send to ProductClassification@usps.gov, with a subject line of “Address Quality Census Measurement and Assessment Process.” Faxed comments are not accepted.

You may inspect and photocopy all written comments, by appointment only, at USPS^® Headquarters Library, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, 11^th Floor North, Washington, DC, 20260. These records are available for review on Monday through Friday, 9 am - 4 pm, by calling 202-268-2906.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Heather Dyer, USPS Mail Entry,

Phone:  (207) 482-7217, email:  heather.l.dyer@usps.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

On December 23, 2014, the Postal Service published a notice of proposed rulemaking (79 FR 76930-76931) to add a process for measuring address quality.

From that proposed rule, the mailing industry provided many insightful and valuable comments (outlined later in this document) to the Postal Service and requested that a revised proposed rule be published. Therefore, we are renaming and revising our original proposal, and publishing it with a request for additional comments. This proposed rulemaking is subject to both Postal Service management and Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approvals.

Published in the Federal Register April 22, 2016.

International Product Changes

AGENCY:  Postal Service^™.

ACTION:  Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM^®), to reflect classification changes to Competitive Services, as established by the Governors of the Postal Service.

DATES:

This rule implements classification changes subject to Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) review. The anticipated effective date is June 3, 2016. However, at the conclusion of the PRC review, if the effective date has been changed, the Postal Service will publish a document in the Federal Register to establish the actual effective date or to modify the rule if necessary.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Paula Rabkin at 202-268-2537.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

New classification changes are available under Docket Number MC2016-118 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's website at http://www.prc.gov. This final rule describes the international classification changes and the corresponding mailing standards changes for the following Competitive Service: 

Priority Mail International

Priority Mail International^® service provides reliable and affordable international delivery service to more than 180 countries. The price for Priority Mail International service is unchanged. The following classification changes are made to support the shift of certain volumes to the air parcel stream:

Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes

Currently, the Postal Service dispatches Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes in the letter post stream, while all other Priority Mail International items are dispatched in the air parcel stream. We are moving the Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes to the air parcel stream so that these items can receive the expanded access to tracking and insurance available to all other Priority Mail International items.