The United States Postal Service announced a pre-filing conference to discuss proposed operational and service standard changes on August 22. The USPS will consider comments received during the virtual conference on September 5 at 1:00pm ET, and will then file a formal request for an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). After receiving an advisory opinion from the PRC, the Postal Service will consider the Commission’s opinion and finalize its decision.
One of the key changes is adding an additional day of delivery for mail that is further than 50 miles from a Regional Processing and Distribution Center. USPS noted the following changes to stakeholders:
Periodicals:
Upgrade in service: 4.3%
Downgrade in service: 2.5%
No change in service: 93.2%
Marketing Mail:
Upgrade in service: 8%
Downgrade in service: 2.1%
No change in service: 89.9%
Other changes include transitioning from 3-Digit to 3-Digit ZIP Code standards to more precise 5-Digit to 5-Digit ZIP Code standards and adjusting pick-up and drop-off times of volume between post offices and processing plants, when the post offices are far away from the regional hubs.
The modifications are anticipated to save USPS approximately $3 billion annually. Register for the conference here.
Holly Lubart is Vice President, Government Affairs at the News/Media Alliance. Previously, she served as Vice President of Government Affairs for the PA NewsMedia Association and started her career as a journalist. Lubart has over 20 years of political and communications experience.
