An unprecedented number of mailer organizations, companies, and nonprofits have united as the Affordable Mail Alliance to fight the Postal Service’s proposed exigent rate increase that was announced on July 6.  The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers is a charter member of the Affordable Mail Alliance and will work hard to defeat the proposal.  As Affordable Mail Alliance spokespersons have said, this proposed increase is wrong on the law, wrong on the economics, and wrong on public policy. 

The Postal Service rate increase proposal averages 5.6%, which is intended to generate an added $2.3 billion in revenue in the last 9 months of Fiscal Year 2011.  The proposed implementation date is January 2, 2011.  Citing the bad recession and electronic diversion, the Postal Service is seeking the increase under the exigency provision of law that is reserved for extraordinary or exceptional circumstances. 

Postal Explorer® (pe.usps.com) is your source for up-to-date mailing standards. The Domestic Mail Manual is fully searchable on Postal Explorer and features fly-out menus, cross-reference links, and an extensive subject index. Today we updated our mailing standards to capture the following changes:

Plant-Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS)—Nonpostal Documentation
We revised 705.15.2.14 which clarifies the use and purpose of PS Form 8125, Plant-Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) Verification and Clearance, as well as other documents that mailers’ nonpostal transportation providers (carriers) may present at the time of induction.

Revenue Deficiency
We revised 604.10.0 and 608.8.0 to incorporate the new Headquarters manager, Revenue Assessment and Control (MRAC) into the assessment and appeal procedures governing shortages in fees or postage.

Business Reply Mail Online Application Option
We revised 507.9.3.2 and 507.9.5.2 to eliminate the option to obtain a Business Reply Mail® (BRM) permit online. Additionally, the electronic version of PS Form 6805, Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM) Application, will also be removed.

Restricting the Mailing of Replica or Inert Explosive Devices
601.12.5 was added to implement a new standard restricting the mailing of replica or inert explosive devices, such as simulated grenades that are not dangerous but bear a realistic appearance to explosive devices, by Registered Mail™ service only.

Deposit of Stamped Mail Over 13 Ounces sent to APO, FPO, and DPO Destinations—Clarification and Update
We deleted 703.2.1.7 and revised 703.2.3 to clarify the deposit of items bearing only postage stamps sent to APO, FPO, and DPO destinations.

2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program (aka 2010 Summer Sale)
We revised 709.2.0, applicable to the Standard Mail® Volume Incentive Program that ended on September 30, 2009, with new standards describing the 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program.

Treatment of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco as Nonmailable Matter
We revised 503.6.0, 601.11.0, and 608.8.0 to describe new standards pertaining to the mailing of tobacco, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

Our next scheduled DMM update is August 2.

On occasion, the Postal Service™ receives inquiries from mailers about who they should contact when they cannot get questions resolved at the acceptance unit of their business mail entry office. This DMM Advisory provides the escalation process and contact information to assist mailers in getting their questions answered as quickly as possible.

For questions concerning business mail preparation or acceptance, mailers should always consult first with the local Post Office® or Business Mail Entry Unit where they hold their permits and deposit their mail. A BME Supervisor or Postmaster can be a good resource for information and assistance.

If you have questions regarding mailpiece design, contact your local Mailpiece Design Analyst.  You can search by using the Mailpiece Design Analyst Lookup.

The first step in escalating an issue or concern is to contact your District Business Mail Entry Manager. You can search by using the District Business Mail Entry Locator.

If you are unable to resolve your issues, you can escalate to the local District Marketing Manager. Marketing Managers and their Districts’ 3-digit ZIP Codes are listed on RIBBS>Business Mail Acceptance, under Important Links.

Mailers with Detached Mail Units (DMUs) and/or Special Postage Payment Systems may contact their District Business Mail Entry Manager. If unresolved they should contact their Business Mailer Support (BMS) Analyst.  A list of BMS Analysts can be found on RIBBS>Business Mail Acceptance, under Important Links.

The next step in the escalation process is the Area Marketing Manager. You can find contact information on RIBBS>Business Mail Acceptance, under Important Links.

If you feel that your concerns have not been addressed and you want to escalate it further, send an email to MailerSOXConcerns@usps.gov to have your issue addressed at the Headquarters level.

The Federal Register notice proposing new DMM® standards for Submission of Electronic Documentation with Comailed and Copalletized Mailings was posted today on Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com. 

This proposed revision would require mail owners participating in a comailing or copalletization process for letters or flats to use an approved method to prepare electronic documentation to support their mailpieces, and would require consolidators to electronically submit documentation to the USPS® by an approved method.

We encourage customers to review and comment on or before July 7, 2010

PostalOne!® Release 24.1.0 will deploy on May 23, 2010. This release will address anomalies listed on the PostalOne! Issues List available on RIBBS®>Intelligent Mail>Services>Latest News, under “Important Links.” This release will revise the spoilage functionality for electronic documentation (eDoc) users and improve the Full-Service Data Quality and Verification Reports. Details on this release are available in the Release Notes on RIBBS>Intelligent Mail Services>Latest News.

Mail.dat® Client Application: As a reminder, the above release requires that mailers download the Mail.dat client application. The latest Mail.dat application is available for download from the Electronic Data Exchange page, accessible from the Business Customer Gateway.

FAST® Release 14.2.0 will deploy on May 23, 2010. FAST on-line drop ship customers will now be able to manage the logistics and content information for a recurring appointment shell. On-line drop ship and Origin Entry users will be able to create Origin Entry one-time appointments. For customers utilizing FAST Web Services, there are updates to delivery appointment, delivery content, and query messages for Mail.XML™ 8.0B and 6.0. Details are available in the FAST Release Notes on RIBBS>Site Index A-Z>FAST/Surface Visibility>Important Links.

Assistance:  If you have any questions or problems accessing the Business Customer Gateway, your accounts, or submitting electronic documentation, please call the PostalOne! Help Desk at:1-800-522-9085. The PostalOne! Help Desk is accessible from Canada at no charge.

We have posted two new Federal Register proposed rules on the Postal Explorer® website at pe.usps.com. Just click on Federal Register Notices in the left frame.

Express Mail Next Day Delivery Postage Refund Amendment

This Express Mail® notice proposes to remove the overnight guarantee postage payment during the timeframe of December 22 through December 25 of each year. This is consistent with industry standards. Comments are encouraged on or before June 1, 2010.

Treatment of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco as Nonmailable Matter

This proposed rule notice pertains to the mailing of tobacco cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, and follows the specific requirements of the Prevent All Tobacco Cigarettes Trafficking (PACT) Act, which restricts the mailability of these products. Comments must be received on or before May 17, 2010.

We will use the DMM Advisory to notify you of future changes.

The Federal Register final rule on the upcoming 2010 Standard Mail® Incentive Program (aka 2010 Summer Sale) was posted today on Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.

The Sale will provide a 30 percent credit on postage paid by Standard Mail customers mailing an increased volume of letters and flats above a predetermined threshold. The program period will run from July 1 through September 30, 2010.

Invitation letters will automatically be sent to eligible customers by May 1, 2010. Mailers who want to participate in the program and believe that they meet the minimum eligibility criteria, of mailing 350,000 Standard Mail letters or flats within the program qualification period, may request a review of their eligibility by contacting summersale@usps.gov no later than May 15, 2010. 

The 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program was reviewed and approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission on April 7, 2010.

The USPS have realigned their business mail acceptance processes to be more consistent throughout their vast network. A significant effort was centered on the correct completion of PS Form 8125, Plant-Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) Verification and Clearance. PS Form 8125 assures that the contents presented at a destination entry office match what was accepted at an origin entry office.

The USPS has thousands of suppliers who bring drop shipments to their facilities, additionally bringing non-postal forms, such as bills of lading, and request a USPS® signature. These non-postal forms are not uniform in content or appearance. It is critical that PS Form 8125 be used as the only documentation evidencing receipt of mail by the Postal Service™ for destination entry drop shipments. It is the only form for destination entry mailings familiar to all mailers and every business mail entry facility.

To maintain nationwide consistency, USPS policy is to accept PS Form 8125 as the only form that postal employees may sign to acknowledge receipt of destination entry shipments. If mailers require a signed receipt, they may submit a second copy of the PS Form 8125, which will be signed by the USPS employee and returned to the driver after the drop shipment has been received. For mailers who use electronic processes such as eVS® where hard copy forms are not required, a separate process will be established.

As postal employees continue to implement standardized business mail acceptance processes, the USPS appreciates the support of the mailing community. It’s important that mailers and the Postal Service continue to work together and support consistency nationwide.

The March/April MailPro [HTML] | [PDF] is available now on usps.com/mailpro. You’ll find informative articles on Postmaster General John Potter’s action plan for the future, information-based indicia (IBI), an advance notice of the 2010 Summer Sale, and much more.

Customers can access current and past issues of MailPro online or subscribe by sending an e-mail to mncsc@usps.com. Include your name, title, company name, complete delivery address, and daytime phone number.

We’ll use the DMM Advisory to notify you when the next issue is available.

Tuesday, the USPS took another step in their efforts to move toward five-day delivery by filing a request for an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).

The USPS’ proposal calls for eliminating Saturday delivery, which will result in a net savings of $3.1 billion annually for the Postal Service. The USPS thanks their stakeholders for their extensive input and assistance in the development of this request and look forward to their continuing dialogue. 

You can read about all the key elements of the USPS’ five-day delivery request at their new website: http://www.usps.com/communications/five-daydelivery. The site is separated into sections for business mailers and households. Each section features the basic facts, planning guides for customers and answers to frequently asked questions.

The USPS will keep you updated on the progress of their proposal through DMM Advisory.