POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION

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.

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.

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The Postal Regulatory Commission is an independent federal agency that provides regulatory oversight over the U.S. Postal Service to ensure the transparency and accountability of the Postal Service and foster a vital and efficient universal mail system.  The Commission is comprised of five Presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed Commissioners, each serving terms of six years.  The Chairman is designated by the President.  In addition to Acting Chairman Robert G. Taub, the other commissioners are Vice Chairman Tony Hammond and Commissioners Mark Acton, Ruth Y. Goldway and Nanci E. Langley.