PRC Extends Deadline for Standard Flats Comments

The Postal Regulatory Commission has granted the Coalition of Catalog Mailers more time to file comments on the reconsideration of its recommendations for standard mail flat rates, some of which call for increases of more than 40%.

On April 3, the coalition petitioned the PRC for more time to submit a motion to reopen and supplement the record for reconsideration of its recommendations for increasing standard mail flats (catalog) rates.

The PRC did not set a new deadline for the filing of comments on standard mail flats.

On March 19, when the U.S. Postal Service approved most of the PRC’s recommended postage rate hikes, it asked the commission to reconsider its decisions on standard mail flats, priority mail boxes and nonmachinable first class letters.

Last week, the PRC set April 12 as the deadline for comments on these rates.

The April 12 comment deadline still holds for the priority mail flat rate boxes and nonmachinable first class letters, according to the PRC.

All the new postal rates will take effect May 14, regardless of any new PRC action.

In a separate development, the PRC set April 20 as the deadline for comments on the USPS’s request to allow the testing of the placement of repositionable notes on mailing envelopes until April 2, 2008.

The test was due to expire last Tuesday.

The USPS petitioned the Commission to extend this test for another year, arguing that ending it now before the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act,” takes effect is “premature” (Direct Newsline, April 3).

In April 2005, the USPS began a test of allowing mailers to place repositionable, or sticky notes on all letters, cards, large envelopes, magazines, catalogs, and newspapers.