Author Archives for Steve Kearney

As Crisis Recedes, So Do Chances for Postal Reform

October 7, 2014 8:46 am Published by Leave your thoughts

When the Postal Service was down to about as many days of cash as you can count on one hand, it had a pretty compelling narrative to convince everyone including Congress that major new legislation was needed. In its latest 10-Q financial report, USPS has changed from quoting the exact number of days to "the present cash balance can fund less than one month of operating activity." To be clear, that means if all revenue were turned off which will never come close to happening.


Alliance Board Welcomes Wounded Warrior Project

October 7, 2014 8:46 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), which provides vital support to wounded veterans of this generation, is joining the Board of Directors of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers (ANM), the nation’s only organization that exclusively represents the mailing rights and needs of nonprofits. As a nonprofit that serves a widespread community through ongoing outreach, WWP relies on affordable, reliable mail service in order to fulfill its mission. This year alone, WWP expects to send more than 60 million pieces of mail as a key component of its multichannel communications strategy. It also receives a significant amount of its donations, 30 percent, directly through the mail.


Alliance Alert: The CPI-Based Rate Increase

January 1, 2014 8:46 am Published by Leave your thoughts

The 2006 legislation allows the Postal Service to increase rates on captive mail products as needed to recover inflation as measured by the CPI. The Postal Service filed a request for such a rate increase in September 2013. While most rate adjustments of this kind are largely unopposed, this one was controversial.


Alliance Alert: The Exigent Rate Case

January 1, 2014 8:46 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Legislation passed by Congress in 2006 normally limits rate increases on captive mail products to the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”). This restriction, commonly known as the CPI cap, is the primary safeguard for captive mailers from abuse of the Postal Service’s pricing power. The law has an exception-informally known as the “exigency” provision-that allows the Postal Service to impose above-inflation rate increases when the increases are designed to recover losses caused by “extraordinary” or “exceptional” circumstances, and the Postal Service will be unable to provide necessary service without the extra money.


Alliance Alert: The Commission’s 2017 Regulatory Review

January 1, 2014 8:46 am Published by Leave your thoughts

The 2006 legislation requires the Commission to issue a report in 2017 on whether the system of rate regulation adopted under the law should be modified or replaced. The regulatory review is likely to be highly controversial. ANM and other mailers believe that the scope of the Commission's authority is limited to filling the gaps left by the existing legislation. Others, including the Postal Service and some at the Commission, contend that Congress intended to authorize the Postal Service to scrap or rewrite the entire regulatory scheme, including provisions explicitly mandated by the 2006 law. Whether Congress intended to delegate such authority to the Commission, and whether such delegation would be lawful, remain a subject of debate. One thing is clear: if the expansive view of the Commission’s authority were to prevail, the existing constraints on the Postal Service’s exercise of pricing power could be largely eliminated.


Kearney Appointed

November 11, 2013 6:55 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Washington area appointments for Nov. 11, 2013 The Washington Post Associations/nonprofits Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers of the District appointed Stephen […]