DATE: Published in the Federal Register December 27, 2013.

Deferral of Full-Service Intelligent Mail Barcode Requirement to Qualify for Automation Prices

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule; partial delay of effective date.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service gives notice that it is deferring the previously-announced effective date of January 26, 2014, for mailers to use full-service Intelligent Mail® to qualify for automation prices when mailing First-Class Mail®, Standard Mail®; Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter mailpieces.

DATES: The effective date of the relevant portions of the final rule published April 18, 2013 (78 FR 23137) is delayed indefinitely.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lizbeth J. Dobbins at 202-268-3781.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
In Order No. 1890 (November 21, 2013), the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) determined that the price changes proposed in Docket No. R2013-10 could take effect as scheduled only if the Postal Service elected to defer the requirement for mailers to use full-service Intelligent Mail to qualify for automation prices.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register December 18, 2013.

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
On September 26, 2013, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective January 26, 2014. 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 26, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Chatfield at 202-268-7278, Lizbeth Dobbins at 202-268-3789, or Steve Monteith at 202-268-6983.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Prices are available under Docket Nos. R2013-10 and R2010-4R on the Postal Regulatory Commission's website at www.prc.gov.

The Postal Service's final rule includes new pricing eligibility for retail and commercial nonpresorted First-Class Mail® letters, several mail classification changes, and condensing of current standards for Periodicals publications. Directly below, we discuss comments on proposed changes, and the Postal Service response to those comments, followed by a summary of all the changes.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register December 18, 2013.

New Standards to Enhance Package Visibility

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 require the use of Intelligent Mail® package barcodes (IMpb) on all commercial parcels, and to require the transmission of supporting electronic documentation including piece-level address or ZIP+4® Code information. Included in these new requirements is a per-piece price adjustment for mailpieces not complying with the IMpb standards. The Postal Service is also adding DMM reference to a future requirement to use a complete destination delivery address or an 11-digit delivery point validated ZIP Code™ in the mailer’s electronic documentation.

DATES: Effective date: January 26, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Juliaann Hess at 202-268-7663 or Rachel Devadas at 202-268-3881.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service takes the next step in the development of its package strategy by enhancing its operational capability to scan Intelligent Mail package barcodes (IMpb) and other extra services barcodes via automated processing equipment and Intelligent Mail scanning devices. Full implementation of the Postal Service’s package strategy relies on the availability of piece-level information provided through the use of IMpb.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register November 21, 2013.

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 26, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Klutts at 813-877-0372.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
New prices are available under Docket Number CP2014-5 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®).
• Priority Mail Express International™.
• Priority Mail International®.
• First-Class Package International Service™.
• International Priority Airmail™ (IPA®).
• International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®).
• Direct Sacks of Printed Matter to One Addressee (M-bags).
• International Extra Services:

• Certificate of Mailing.
• Registered Mail™ Service.
• Return Receipt Service.
• Pickup On Demand® Service.

• International Money Transfer Services:

• Sure Money® (DineroSeguro®).

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

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register November 20, 2013.

Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards Changes

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
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®.
• Standard Post™.
• Extra Services.
• Return Services.
• Mailer Services.
• Recipient Services.

DATES: Effective Date: January 26, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margaret Choiniere (202) 268-7231 or Garry Rodriguez (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®. New prices are available under Docket Number CP2014-5 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.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register October 25, 2013.

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
On September 26, 2013, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective January 2014. 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 25, 2013.

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. Faxed comments will not be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Chatfield at 202-268-7278, Lizbeth Dobbins at 202-268-3789, or Steve Monteith at 202-268-6983.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Proposed prices will be available under Docket No. R2013-10 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's website at www.prc.gov.

The Postal Service's proposed rule includes new pricing eligibility for retail and commercial nonpresorted First-Class Mail® letters, several mail classification changes, and some condensing of current standards for Periodicals publications.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register October 24, 2013.

International Mailing Services: Proposed Price Changes – CPI

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
In October 2013, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective on January 26, 2014. The Postal Service proposes to revise various sections of Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) to reflect these new price changes.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before November 25, 2013.

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, 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: MailingStandards@usps.gov, with a subject line of “January 2014 International Mailing Services Price Change – CPI.” Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Klutts at 813-877-0372.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed prices are or will be available under Docket Number R2013-10 on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s website at www.prc.gov.

This proposed rule includes price changes for First-Class Mail International® and international extra services.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register October 24, 2013.

International Mailing Services: Proposed Price Changes – Exigent

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
In October 2013, the Postal Service filed a notice of mailing services price adjustments with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), effective on January 26, 2014. The Postal Service proposes to revise various sections of Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) to reflect these new price changes.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before November 25, 2013.

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, 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: MailingStandards@usps.gov, with a subject line of “January 2014 International Mailing Services Price Change – Exigent.” Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Klutts at 813-877-0372.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed prices are or will be available under Docket Number R2010/4R on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s website at www.prc.gov.

This proposed rule includes price changes for First-Class Mail International® and international extra services.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register August 28, 2013.

Balloting Materials Postage

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 703.8.0 to require that all ballot types include in the balloting materials a marking to indicate that the proper amount of postage must be paid and the balloting materials must also indicate the specific amount of postage for the return of ballots, unless mailed under certain specified exceptions.

DATES: Effective date: October 7, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Monteith at (202) 268-6983, or Garry Rodriguez at 202-268-7281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
On May 2, 2013, the Postal Service published a proposed rule (78 FR 25677-78) inviting comments on revisions to the standards for balloting materials. In response to this proposed rule, the Postal Service received several comments that are summarized and discussed below.

After considering the comments received, the Postal Service will revise the DMM to require that the balloting materials for all types of ballots, whether disseminated hardcopy or electronically, must indicate in a prominent location the proper amount of First-Class Mail® postage that must be paid. This information must be included in the balloting materials (i.e., on the ballot, ballot instructions, mailing instructions, or the envelope) with the marking “First-Class Mail postage must be applied.” Alternatively, the marking “Apply First-Class Mail postage here” could be printed in the upper right corner of the address side of the envelope used by the voter to return the ballot to election officials. The Postal Service will also accept approved variations of the above markings.

Additionally, this final rule requires that the balloting materials indicate in a prominent location the specific amount of First-Class Mail postage required for the return of the ballot to election officials.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register July 11, 2013.

New Standards to Enhance Package Visibility

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service is proposing to revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) to require the use of Intelligent Mail® package barcodes (IMpb) on all commercial parcels, and to require the transmission of supporting electronic documentation including piece-level address or ZIP+4® Code information effective January 2014. In January 2015 the complete destination delivery address or an 11-digit delivery point validated ZIP Code will be required in the electronic documentation.

DATES: Submit comments on or before August 1, 2013.

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, 11th Floor North, Washington, D.C., by appointment only, between 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: MailingStandards@usps.gov, with a subject line of "Package Visibility." Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Juliaann Hess at 202-268-7663 or Kevin Gunther at 202-268-7208.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service continues to enhance its operational capability to scan Intelligent Mail package barcodes (IMpb) and other extra services barcodes via automated processing equipment and Intelligent Mail scanning devices. Full implementation of the Postal Service’s package strategy relies on the availability of piece-level information provided through the widespread use of IMpb.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register July 10, 2013.

Collect on Delivery (COD)--Service Features

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 503.13, 507.4 and 508.1 to provide new standards for the automatic holding period for Collect on Delivery (COD) articles, expand the acceptable payment methods for COD articles, and provide current options for the redirecting of COD articles.

DATES: Effective date: July 28, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grace Letto at 202-268-2282, or Suzanne Newman at 202-268-5581.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service published a notice of proposed rulemaking on May 31, 2013 (78 FR 32612 - 32613) (available at www.gpo.gov), which included a 30-day comment period. Since no comments or objections to the proposed rule were received, the Postal Service will adopt the proposed changes to Collect on Delivery (COD) service features.

Summary of changes to be implemented:
The Postal Service will revise the DMM in various sections to redesign some of the features of COD service. In response to mailer's requests for the expedited return of their articles when COD shipments are unclaimed by the addressee, this revision will modify the holding period for COD articles from the current 30-day maximum to a maximum of 10 days.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register June 26, 2013.

Refunds and Exchanges

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 604.9 and other DMM sections to remove obsolete standards pertaining to postage refunds and stamp exchanges, and to standardize processes for requesting refunds for PC Postage® labels and extra service refunds.

DATES: Effective date: July 28, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicki Bosch, Business Mailers Support, vicki.m.bosch@usps.gov, 202-268-4978; Douglas Germer, Revenue/Field Accounting, douglas.g.germer@usps.gov, 202-268-8522; Hank Heren, Payment Technology, hank.g.heren@usps.gov, 309-671-8926; Karen Key, Shipping Products, karen.f.key@usps.gov, 202-268-2282; Suzanne Newman, Product Classification, suzanne.j.newman@usps.gov, 202-268-5581

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service published a notice of-proposed rulemaking on March 14, 2013 (78 FR 16213), which included a 30 day comment period. After review of the comments and further consideration, the Postal Service provides this final rule.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register May 31, 2013.

Collect on Delivery (COD) - Service Features

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
Effective July 28, 2013, the Postal Service™ proposes to revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 503.13, 507.4 and 508.1 to provide new standards for the automatic holding period for Collect on Delivery (COD) articles, expand the acceptable payment methods for COD articles, and provide current options for the redirecting of COD mailpieces.

DATES: Submit comments on or before July 1, 2013.

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, 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 "COD Service Features" Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grace Letto at 202-268-2282 or Suzanne Newman at 202-268-5581.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service proposes to revise the DMM in various sections to redesign some of the features of COD service. In response to mailer's requests for the expedited return of their mailpieces when COD shipments are unclaimed by the addressee, this revision proposes to modify the holding period for COD articles from the current 30-day maximum to a maximum of 10 days.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register May 2, 2013.

Balloting Materials Postage

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service proposes to revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 703.8.0 to require all ballot types to indicate that the proper amount of postage must be paid and to require balloting materials indicate the amount of postage for the return of ballots, unless mailed under the special exemption for military or overseas voting or returned under Business Reply Mail® service.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before June 3, 2013.

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, 11th Floor N, Washington DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Email comments concerning the proposed rule, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: ProductClassification@usps.gov, with a subject line of "Balloting Materials Postage." Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Monteith at (202) 268-6983, or Garry Rodriguez at 202-268-7281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
With the growth of no excuse absentee voting, and the spread of vote-by-mail efforts throughout the country, the United States Postal Service® has noted an increase in ballots mailed back to Election Officials with insufficient postage. Each election cycle presents a different set of parameters for ballot creation and for the size and weight of the mail piece. As a result, we believe that many voters may not be adequately informed of the sufficient amount of postage required to return a ballot by mail.

To rectify this problem, the Postal Service is proposing that the balloting materials for all types of ballots whether disseminated hardcopy or electronically not qualified under the special exemption for military and overseas voting or returned under Business Reply Mail service must indicate in a prominent location the proper amount of First-Class Mail® postage that must be paid. This information must be included in the ballot materials (i.e., on the ballot, ballot instructions, mailing instructions, or the envelope) with the marking "Sufficient First-Class Mail postage must be applied." Alternatively, the marking "Apply sufficient First-Class Mail postage here" could be printed in the upper right corner of the address side of the envelope used by the voter to return the ballot to election officials.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register April 24, 2013.

New Mailing Standards for Live Animals and Special Handling

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service is proposing to revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 503.14 and 601.9.3 to require special handling service for shipments containing certain types of live animals, to limit the mail classes available for use when shipping certain types of live animals, and to expand the mailability of live animals domestically to include any adult bird weighing no more than 25 pounds.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 24, 2013

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, 11th Floor North, Washington, D.C., by appointment only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 1-202-268-2906 in advance for an appointment. Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: ProductClassification@usps.gov, with a subject line of "Live Animals." Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grace Letto at 202-268-8370 or Rachel Devadas at 202-268-7276.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service currently requires special handling service for designated shipments of live animals needing additional care during transport and handling to its destination as follows: Domestic shipments containing honeybees or baby poultry are currently required to include special handling service, unless First-Class Mail®, First-Class Package Service™, or Priority Mail® is used. Shipments containing live animals must also be marked on the address side with a description of the contents, even if special handling service is not purchased. These markings provide notice to Postal Service employees that specific care, different from the handling of ordinary mailpieces, is required. Circumstances requiring the Postal Service to handle shipments containing live animals differently also include:

• Protection of Postal Service employees and the public against harm from diseased animals.
• Protection of the mail and the environment against damage to the shipping container or the live animal and offensive odors or noise.
• Protection of animals against death, taking into account the expected time and temperature in transit (weather conditions), and packaging sufficient to resist impact, heat and cold, and to prevent suffocation.

The Postal Service consistently accepts, transports, and delivers live animals with additional care in handling, regardless of the mail class or the extra service being purchased. This additional care ensures safe and effective processing for mail containing live animals through the mailstream to its destination. Consequently, the Postal Service incurs additional expense to isolate and protect live shipments even when sent by air transportation, such as with Express Mail® or Priority Mail®.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register April 18, 2013.

Implementation of Full-Service Intelligent Mail Requirements for Automation Prices

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), throughout various sections to modify eligibility requirements for mailers to qualify for automation prices.

Effective January 26, 2014, use of "full-service" Intelligent Mail® is required to qualify for automation prices for postcards (First-Class Mail® only), letters, and flats when mailed using the following services: First-Class Mail, Standard Mail® and Periodicals®; and for flats mailed at Bound Printed Matter® prices.

Additionally, the 10/24 transitional barcoded tray label format is eliminated, and mailers are required to use the 24-digit Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb™) format on tray, tub, and sack labels.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 26, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
On October 17, 2012, the Postal Service published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register (77 FR 63771-63781) to require use of full-service Intelligent Mail to qualify for automation prices when mailing First-Class Mail (FCM), Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter (BPM) postcards, letters, or flats, as applicable.

For questions regarding full-service requirements, contact the Postal Service by email at fullservice@usps.com or call the PostalOne! Help Desk at 800-522-9085

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register March 14, 2013.

Refunds and Exchanges

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service™ proposes to revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 604.9, and other DMM sections, to remove obsolete standards pertaining to postage refunds and stamp exchanges; standardize processes for requesting refunds for PC Postage® labels and extra service refunds; and change the methods for calculating refund assessment amounts.

DATES: Submit comments on or before April 15, 2013.

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, 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 "Refunds and Exchanges." Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Technological advances have facilitated expansion of authorized methods for paying postage and requesting postage refunds. As a result, certain manual refund processes have become unnecessary and inefficient. As new postage payment methods options were adopted, some refund and appeals time periods were inadvertently omitted. No changes are proposed to the claims process for indemnity for Insured and COD articles.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register February 26, 2013.

New Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Standards to Enhance Package Visibility; Opportunity for Comments in Advance of Rulemaking

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service is exploring the advisability of requiring the use of Intelligent Mail® package barcodes (IMpb) or unique tracking Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMb™) on all commercial parcels, and providing support to mailers to assure their ability to apply unique tracking barcodes to all commercial parcels.

DATES: Comments are due on March 28, 2013

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, 11th Floor North, Washington, D.C., by appointment only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 1-202-268-2906 in advance for an appointment. Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: MailingStandards@usps.gov, with a subject line of "Package Visibility." Faxed comments are not accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey L Freeman at 202-268-2922 or Kevin Gunther at 202-268-7208.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service continues to enhance its operational capability to provide scanning data of IMpb and other tracking barcodes through the use of automated processing equipment and Intelligent Mail scanning devices. The tracking data provided by IMpb, including acceptance, enroute, and delivery status data, will provide value to the Postal Service, to mailers and to their shared customer base.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT

DATE: Published in the Federal Register February 22, 2013.

Promotions and Incentive Programs for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail

AGENCY: Postal Service™.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY:
The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 709.3 to include new promotions and incentive programs that will be offered at various time periods during calendar year 2013 for Presorted and automation First-Class Mail® cards, letters, and flats, and Standard Mail® letters, flats, or parcels.

DATES: Effective date: March 4, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Krista Becker at 202-268-7345 or Bill Chatfield at 202-268-7278. Email contacts are: mobilebarcode@usps.gov for the Mobile Coupon/Click-to-Call, Emerging Technologies, Product Samples, and Mobile Buy-It-Now programs; and earnedvalue@usps.gov or picturepermit@usps.com for the two other programs.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Postal Service filed a notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) (Docket No. R2013-1) on October 11, 2012 to offer six new promotions in 2013 and the PRC approved the 2013 promotions on November 16, 2012.

In this final rule, the Postal Service provides a description of the eligibility conditions for the various promotional programs and the revised mailing standards to implement the programs. The types of eligible mailpieces are listed in the descriptions for each promotion. EDDM-Retail® mailings are not eligible for participation in any of the promotions. OMAS and official government mailings are eligible for participation in the Earned Value Reply Mail promotion only. Registration for must be made separately for each promotion through the Business Customer Gateway.

Published in the Federal Register TEXT