From USPS News Link: USPS is offering comments on the 10-year pricing system review being conducted by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Under a 2006 postal law, the PRC must review the system used for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products, including First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail and other mail categories. Continue reading Washington, DC – Today, the Postal Regulatory Commission (Commission) begins its review of the system for regulating rates and classes for Market Dominant products that was first established in 2006. The law requires that the Commission begin its review of the current rate system ten years after the date of enactment of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, to determine whether it’s achieving the objectives established by Congress. If the Commission finds that the objectives, taking into account the factors, are not being met, it has the authority to either propose rules that modify the system or adopt an alternative system to achieve the objectives. Order No. 3673 outlines the parameters and timing by which the Commission will complete its review. Continue reading WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes for Shipping Services products to take effect next year, following the end of the holiday mailing season. The filing does not include any price increase for First-Class Package International Service, Priority Mail Express International and Priority Mail International. The new prices, if approved, represent a modest price increase in Priority Mail by 3.9 percent and an average of 3.3 percent in Priority Mail Retail prices. The Priority Mail Flat Rate Box and Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope prices for these products are: The PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to take effect Jan. 22, 2017. The complete Postal Service price filing with the new prices for all Shipping Services products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section:http://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily Neopost is offering a free one hour webinar tomorrow, Thursday May 28, covering the upcoming USPS rate changes: Date: May 28, 2015 Join our webinar on May 28th to get the latest pricing updates and what will change in your mailing and shipping processes. There’s lots of good news with this Rate Change, here are a few the topics that will be reviewed: A Neopost USA rate change expert will provide all the details plus best practices tips to help you continue to save on both mailing and shipping after the new rates go into effect. Neopost customers will also get final details on how to be sure their machines will be ready. Today’s decision rejects the postal service’s claim, finding the law “ambiguous” on that point. But while the Court found that the PRC could determine that a change in the rules amounted to a rate hike, “The standard enunciated by the Commission to determine when requirements changes are ‘changes’ in rates” seems boundless and, thus, unreasonable; and the Commission’s inconsistent application of the standard in this case proves the point.” The Court went so far as to find that “The Commission’s judgment in this case ‘lacks any coherence. We therefore owe no deference to [the Commission’s] purported expertise because we cannot discern it. We therefore remand the case to the Commission to enunciate an intelligible standard and then reconsider its decision in light of that standard.” In today’s order, the Commission approves the Postal Service’s revised price adjustments and classification changes, which now comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. In addition, the Commission directs the Postal Service to propose several methodologies relating to changes approved in Order No. 2472. The Commission approves several changes to workshare discounts and the Mail Classification Schedule in Order No. 2472, some of which necessitate the development of methodologies to be used in data reporting. The Commission directs the Postal Service to file the following within 90 days: The Commission’s regulations require that the Postal Service use accepted analytical principles in its data reporting to the Commission. 39 C.F.R. part 3050. The Commission’s complete analyses of the Postal Service’s Market Dominant price adjustments for fiscal year 2015 are located at www.prc.gov in Docket No. R2015-4. The US Postal Service announced today that it will hold off on rate adjustments scheduled to take effect on April 26. The adjustments, which involve First Class Mail, Special Services and Competitive Products, have already been approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission. Rates affecting Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services, however, have not been approved, after the PRC twice rejected USPS rate requests for those classes of mail, saying they were “riddled with errors”, and failed to comply with the law. The USPS says it doesn’t want to burden customers with multiple implementation dates for different classes, and will set a new date for implementation once it manages to sort out the faulty submissions. It did not offer an estimate of how long that might take. In Order No. 2378 issued on March 6, 2015, the Commission remanded the rates for these classes of mail so that the Postal Service could provide additional information and justifications, correct errors, and fulfill applicable legal requirements. The Commission held that the Postal Service needed to address several deficiencies, including unequal Standard Mail nonprofit and commercial discounts, improperly justified Standard Mail worksharing discounts with passthroughs above 100 percent, and improperly calculated billing determinant adjustments for all three classes. In the order issued today, the Commission finds that the Postal Service has not adequately addressed the concerns described in Order No. 2378 and has failed to demonstrate that the proposed rates comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. As a result, the Commission again returns the proposed rates and directs the Postal Service to provide information demonstrating that they conform to the law. Once the Postal Service files a response to the Commission’s order, the public will have 7 days from the date of that filing to comment on the revised proposal. The Commission’s complete analysis of the Postal Service’s revised price adjustments for Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services can be found in Order No. 2398, under Docket No. R2015-4. The Commission did not delay the review and approval of First-Class Mail despite incomplete information filed by the Postal Service for other classes of Market Dominant mail. The Commission has approved the following actions that will affect domestic mail: The following changes affect international mail: All Commission documents pertaining to price changes for 2015 are located on the Commission’s website at www.prc.gov, under Docket No. R2015-4. All of the prices above include the current exigent surcharge approved in Docket No. R2013-11.
rate adjustment
USPS seeks an end to postage price cap
PRC Commences First Broad Review of Postal Ratemaking System
USPS to hike shipping services rates 3.9% after the holidays
The Postal Service continues to provide excellent value and reliability for the shipping industry, along with convenient choices for consumers. The average Shipping Services price change is 3.9 percent, which results in an average shipping price of less than $5 per shipment across all shipping products.
Current
New
Small flat-rate box
$6.80
$7.15
Medium flat-rate box
13.45
13.60
Large flat-rate box
18.75
18.85
Large APO/FPO flat-rate box
16.75
17.35
Regular flat-rate envelope
6.45
6.65
Legal flat-rate envelope
6.45
6.95
Padded flat-rate envelope
6.80
7.20
Neopost offers free rate change webinar tomorrow
Time: 1:00 ET / 12:00 CT / 11:00 MT / 10:00 PT
Duration: 1 Hour Duration Inlcuding Q&A
(COMPLIMENTARY)
Appeals Court reaches mixed decision on USPS/PRC IMb dispute
The Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit today handed down its decision in the lawsuit brought by the US Postal Service against the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) over the PRC’s attempt to regulate new Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) rules. Mailers had claimed that the regulations increased their costs, and therefore were price increases that needed to be counted against the postal service’s rate cap for “Market Dominant” services. The PRC sided with the mailers, so the USPS appealed to the Court, claiming that the law clearly prohibited the PRC from “characterizing mail preparation requirements as changes in rates.”PRC Approves USPS Price Adjustments for Certain Market Dominant Products
Washington, DC – Today the Postal Regulatory Commission issued Order No. 2472 approving the Postal Service’s price adjustments for Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services. The prices are scheduled to take effect May 31, 2015. In Order Nos. 2378 and 2398, the Commission remanded the price adjustments for Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services to the Postal Service for non-compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
USPS to delay April 26 rate adjustments
PRC Again Remands Price Adjustments Back To USPS: Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services Products Affected
Washington, DC – For the second time in this case, the Postal Regulatory Commission returned a Postal Service proposal to adjust rates for Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services.Return to Sender: PRC tells USPS to try again on rate adjustments
The Postal Regulatory Commission has told the US Postal Service that it can’t approve and certify the rate adjustments for market-dominant services scheduled to take effect next month. The PRC, in an order issued today, gave the USPS until next Thursday, March 12, to file an amended rate adjustment notice. Continue reading PRC approves USPS First Class Mail Price Adjustments
Washington, DC – Today the Postal Regulatory Commission issued Order No. 2365 on Price Adjustments for First-Class Mail finding the Postal Service pricing proposals to be consistent with the Consumer Price Index based price cap under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, 39 U.S.C. 3622(d)(1)(A). The new prices will take effect April 26, 2015.
