Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards Changes
| Published date | 23 November 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 74608 |
| Record Number | 2020-25833 |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
| Court | Postal Service |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 74608-74610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25833]
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POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 111
Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards
Changes
AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Postal Service is amending Mailing Standards of the United
States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]), to reflect
changes to prices and mailing standards for competitive products.
DATES: Effective January 24, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Foti at (202) 268-2931 or Garry
Rodriguez at (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[supreg]. New prices are available under Docket Number CP2021-28
on the Postal Regulatory Commission PRC website at http://www.prc.gov,
and on the Postal Explorer[supreg] website at http://pe.usps.com.
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[supreg].
Priority Mail[supreg].
First-Class Package Service[supreg].
Parcel Select[supreg].
USPS Retail Ground[supreg].
Extra Services.
Return Services.
Mailer Services.
Recipient Services.
Other.
Competitive product prices and changes are identified by product as
follows:
Priority Mail Express
Prices
Overall, Priority Mail Express prices will increase 1.2 percent.
Priority Mail Express will continue to offer zoned and Flat Rate
Retail, Commercial Base[supreg], and Commercial Plus[supreg] pricing.
Retail prices will increase an average of 1.0 percent. The Flat
Rate Envelope price will remain at $26.35, the Legal Flat Rate Envelope
will remain at $26.50, and the Padded Flat Rate Envelope will remain at
$26.95.
Commercial Plus prices were matched to the Commercial Base prices
in the 2016 price change and will continue to be matched in 2021.
Commercial Base and Commercial Plus prices will increase an average of
2.5 percent.
Priority Mail
Prices
Overall, Priority Mail prices will increase 3.5 percent. Priority
Mail will continue to offer zoned and Flat Rate Retail, Commercial
Base, and Commercial Plus pricing.
Retail prices will increase an average of 3.0 percent. The Flat
Rate Envelope price will increase to $7.95, the Legal Flat Rate
Envelope will increase to $8.25, and the Padded Flat Rate Envelope will
increase to $8.55. The Small Flat Rate Box price will increase to $8.45
and the Medium Flat Rate Boxes will increase to $15.50. The Large Flat
Rate Box will increase to $21.90 and the APO/FPO/DPO Large Flat Rate
Box will increase to $20.40.
Commercial Base prices offer lower prices to customers who use
authorized postage payment methods. Commercial Base prices will
increase an average of 3.6 percent.
The Commercial Plus price category offers price incentives to large
volume customers who have a customer commitment agreement with
USPS[supreg]. Commercial Plus prices as a whole will increase 4.5
percent.
First-Class Package Service
Prices
Overall, First-Class Package Service--Retail prices will increase
4.8 percent.
Overall, First-Class Package Service--Commercial prices will
increase 6.5 percent.
Parcel Select
Prices
The prices for Parcel Select Destination Entry will increase an
average of 8.9 percent. Parcel Select Ground prices will increase an
average of 1.3 percent. The prices for Parcel Select
Lightweight[supreg] will increase an average of 20.0 percent.
USPS Retail Ground
Overall, USPS Retail Ground prices will increase an average of 3.0
percent.
Extra Services
Adult Signature Service
Adult Signature Required and Adult Signature Restricted Delivery
service prices are increasing 3.8 and 3.6 percent respectively. The
price for Adult Signature Required will increase to $6.90 and Adult
Signature Restricted Delivery will increase to $7.15.
Return Services
Parcel Return Service
Overall, Parcel Return Service prices will increase an average of
4.9 percent.
Return Sectional Center Facility (RSCF) prices will increase an
average of 4.9 percent and Return Delivery Unit (RDU) prices will
increase an average of 4.9 percent.
Mailer Services
Pickup on Demand Service
The Pickup on Demand[supreg] service fee will increase 4.2 percent
to $25.00.
USPS Premium Tracking Service
Overall, USPS Premium Tracking ServiceTM prices will
remain the same.
[[Page 74609]]
USPS Premium Tracking Service Name Change
The Postal Service is renaming USPS Premium TrackingTM
service as USPS Tracking PlusTM service.
Recipient Services
Post Office Box Service
The competitive Post Office BoxTM service prices will
increase an average of 23.3 percent within the updated price ranges.
Premium Forwarding Service
Premium Forwarding Service[supreg] (PFS[supreg]) prices will
increase between 3.9 and 4.0 percent depending on the specific price
element. The enrollment fee paid at the retail counter for PFS-
Residential will increase to $22.75 and the PFS-Residential, PFS-
Commercial, and PFS-Local enrollment fee paid online will increase to
$20.90 per application. The price of the weekly shipment charge for
PFS-Residential and per container charge for PFS-Local will increase to
$22.75.
USPS Package Intercept
The USPS Package Intercept[supreg] fee will increase 4.1 percent to
$15.25.
Other
Address Enhancement Service
Address Enhancement Service competitive product prices will
increase between 3.7 and 100.0 percent.
Small Parcel Forwarding Fee
The small parcel forwarding fee, an optional service first offered
in January 2019, will increase 4.2 percent to $4.95.
Oversize Item Charge
As provided in the October 17, 2018, Federal Register final rule
(83 FR 52326-52330) for an overweight item, the Postal Service is
introducing a similar charge for an item identified in the postal
network that exceeds the 130-inch length plus girth maximum dimensional
limit for Postal Service products, and is therefore nonmailable.
Oversize items identified in the postal network will be assessed a $100
fee payable before release of the item, unless the item is discovered
and picked up at the same facility where it was entered. The Postal
Service is also adding a commercial payment method, PostalOne!, for fee
payment.
Resources
The Postal Service provides additional resources to assist
customers with this price change for competitive products. These tools
include price lists, downloadable price files, and Federal Register
Notices, which may be found on the Postal Explorer[supreg] website at
http://pe.usps.com.
The Postal Service adopts the following changes to Mailing
Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual
(DMM), incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations.
See 39 CFR 111.1.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111
Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.
Accordingly, 39 CFR part 111 is amended as follows:
PART 111--[AMENDED]
0
1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 111 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 13 U.S.C. 301-307; 18 U.S.C. 1692-
1737; 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 414, 416, 3001-3011, 3201-3219,
3403-3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3632, 3633, and 5001.
0
2. Revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) as follows:
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail
Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
500 Additional Mailing Services
* * * * *
507 Mailer Services
* * * * *
[Revise the heading and text of 11.0 to read as follows:]
11.0 USPS Tracking Plus Service
USPS Tracking Plus service allows customers to request the Postal
Service retain scan data, or scan and signature data for their
packages, beyond the Postal Service's standard data retention period,
for up to 10 years. USPS Tracking Plus service is available for
commercial packages shipped via Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail,
First-Class Package Service, Parcel Select, and commercial packages
with Adult Signature Services. For Scan and Signature Retention on
products other than Priority Mail Express, the customer must have
purchased an underlying signature service, such as Signature
Confirmation service (see Notice 123-Price List). Customers can request
USPS Tracking Plus service online at usps.com or through a Shipping
Services File.
* * * * *
600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
601 Mailability
* * * * *
[Revise the heading of 1.2 to read as follows:]
1.2 Overweight or Oversize Items
[Revise the text of 1.2.1 to read as follows:]
1.2.1 Description
The Postal Service maximum mailpiece weight limit is 70 pounds (see
201.7.3) and the maximum dimension is 130 inches (length plus girth).
Any item exceeding the 70-pound weight or 130-inch dimensional maximum
limits are nonmailable and if found in the postal network, must be
secured for pick-up by the mailer or addressee and assessed a fee as
provided under 1.2.3.
1.2.2 Products and Services
[Revise the text of 1.2.2 to read as follows:]
The standard in 1.2.1 applies to any item that exceeds the 70-pound
maximum weight limit or 130-inch maximum dimensional limit including
return services, return to sender, and undeliverable as addressed. The
standard in 1.2.1 for items exceeding the 70-pound weight or 130-inch
dimensional maximum limits does not apply to the Competitive P.O. Box
Street Addressing feature in DMM subsection 508.4.5.4.
1.2.3 Fee
[Revise the text of 1.2.3 to read as follows:]
Except for an overweight or oversize item discovered and picked up
at the same facility where it was entered, the overweight/oversize item
fee of $100 will be assessed and must be paid before release of the
item. The $100 overweight/oversize item fee may be paid by any
authorized retail payment method or through PostalOne!.
1.2.4 Pickup
[Revise the text of 1.2.4 to read as follows:]
Unless authorized, an overweight or oversize item not paid for and
picked up within 14 calendar days will be considered abandoned and
disposed of at the discretion of the Postal Service.
* * * * *
Notice 123 (Price List)
[Revise competitive prices as applicable.]
* * * * *
[[Page 74610]]
We will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to
reflect these changes.
Ruth Stevenson,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2020-25833 Filed 11-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P
