Rule2022-26075
Service Standards for Market-Dominant Mail Products
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 30, 2022
Effective
January 22, 2023
Issuing agencies
Postal Service
Abstract
This final rule adds a service standard for Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail to the set of service standards for First-Class Mail set forth in our regulations.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 229 (Wednesday, November 30, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 30, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 73468-73469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26075]
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POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 121
Service Standards for Market-Dominant Mail Products
AGENCY: Postal Service<SUP>TM</SUP>.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: This final rule adds a service standard for
Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail to the set of service standards for
First-Class Mail set forth in our regulations.
DATES: Effective date: January 22, 2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Pigott, 202-268-4031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
On November 10, 2021, the Postal Service filed a notice in Docket
No. MT2022-1 announcing its intent to conduct a market test of an
experimental product denominated as USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local
Mail and demonstrated that the market test would comply with applicable
legal requirements. The Postal Regulatory Commission found that the
market test met the requirements of 39 U.S.C. 3641 and 39 CFR part 3045
and authorized the market test to proceed in Order No. 6080 on January
4, 2022.
The Postal Service initially introduced its test of USPS
Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail in Texas to align with its nationwide
rollout of the corresponding packages product, USPS
Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local. By the end of the second quarter, which
ended March 31, 2022, USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail was offered
as a market test product in 11 states. Another 16 states were added in
the third quarter; 23 more were added in the fourth quarter. Once the
initial phased national rollout was complete, USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP>
Local Mail was offered in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The Postal Service is now seeking to classify USPS
Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail as a permanent classification in the
Mail Classification Schedule (MCS). The Postal Service has thus
requested that the service be listed in the MCS under the First-Class
Mail class in Postal Regulatory Commission Docket No. MC2023-12.
Assuming the changes are adopted in accordance with the expected date
of implementation of January 22, 2023, the Postal Service plans to add
USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail as a price category within First-
Class Mail Flats. USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail will provide
customers same-day or next-day options for local delivery of documents.
USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail requires local induction through
dropoff at a participating Destination Delivery Unit (DDU), or carrier
pick-up in line-of-travel to a participating DDU. Documents accepted by
the Postal Service at a participating DDU by 7 a.m. will receive a same
day service standard, while mailpieces received after 7 a.m. at a
participating DDU or by carrier pick-up will receive a one day service
standard (i.e., they will be eligible for delivery the following
delivery day).
II. Explanation of Final Rule
The Postal Service's market-dominant service standards are
contained in 39 CFR part 121. The revisions to 39 CFR part 121 appear
at the end of this document. The following is a summary of the
revisions.
A. Service Standards Generally
Service standards contain two components: (1) a delivery day range
within which mail in a given product is expected to be delivered; and
(2) business rules that determine, within a product's applicable day
range, the specific number of delivery days after acceptance of a mail
piece by which a customer can expect that piece to be delivered, based
on the piece's point of entry into the mail stream and its delivery
address.
Business rules are based on critical entry times (CETs). The CET is
the latest time on a particular day that a mail piece can be entered
into the postal network and still have its service standard calculated
based on that day (this day is termed ``day-zero''). In other words, if
a piece is entered before the CET, its service standard is calculated
from the day of entry, whereas if it is entered after the CET, its
service standard is calculated from the following day. (If the
following day is a Sunday or holiday, then the service standard is
calculated from the next Postal Service delivery day.) For example, if
the applicable CET is 5:00 p.m., and a letter is entered at 4:00 p.m.
on a Tuesday, its service standard will be calculated from Tuesday,
whereas if the letter is entered at 6:00 p.m. on a Tuesday, its service
standard will be calculated from Wednesday. CETs are not contained in
39 CFR part 121, because they vary based on where mail is entered, the
mail's level of preparation, and other factors.
B. USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail
USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail will be offered as a price
category under First-Class Mail Flats. It is intended for local
document delivery. Customers will be
[[Page 73469]]
able to deposit USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail items at
participating destination delivery units (DDUs) or present them to mail
carriers along their lines of travel to participating DDUs.
USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail will receive either a same-day
or a 1-day (i.e., next-delivery day) service standard, depending on
whether it is accepted at a participating DDU by the CET of 7:00 a.m.
USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail accepted by the Postal Service at
a participating DDU by the applicable CET will receive a same day
service standard, while mailpieces received after applicable CET at a
participating DDU or by carrier pick-up will receive a one day service
standard.
Payment for USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail will be offered
via Click N Ship and by USPS API as well. Tracking will be offered to
USPS Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail customers using IMpb barcodes.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 121
Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.
Accordingly, for the reasons stated, the Postal Service adopts the
following amendment to 39 CFR part 121:
PART 121--SERVICE STANDARDS FOR MARKET-DOMINANT MAIL PRODUCTS
0
1. The authority citation for part 121 is revised to read as follows:
Authority: 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 1001, 3691.
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2. Section 121.1 is amended by redesignating paragraphs (a) through (g)
as paragraphs (b) through (h), respectively, and adding a new paragraph
(a) to read as follows:
Sec. 121.1 First-Class Mail.
(a) A same day service standard is applied to USPS
Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail pieces properly accepted at
participating Destination Delivery Units before the day-zero Critical
Entry Time (CET); a one day service standard is applied to USPS
Connect<SUP>TM</SUP> Local Mail pieces accepted via carrier pick-up or
properly accepted at participating Destination Delivery Units after the
day-zero CET.
* * * * *
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3. Appendix A to part 121 is revised to read as follows:
Appendix A to Part 121--Tables Depicting Service Standard Day Ranges
The following tables reflect the service standard day ranges
resulting from the application of the business rules applicable to
the market-dominant mail products referenced in Sec. Sec. 121.1
through 121.4 (for purposes of this part, references to the
contiguous states also include the District of Columbia):
Table 1. End-to-end service standard day ranges for mail
originating and destinating within the contiguous 48 states and the
District of Columbia.
Table 1--Contiguous United States
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End-to-end
Mail class range
(days)
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First-Class Mail *......................................... 1-5
Periodicals................................................ 3-9
USPS Marketing Mail........................................ 3-10
Package Services........................................... 2-8
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* Excluding USPS Connect\TM\ Local Mail.
Table 2. End-to-end service standard day ranges for mail
originating and/or destinating in non-contiguous states and
territories.
Table 2--Non-Contiguous States and Territories
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End-to-end
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Intra state/territory To/from contiguous 48 states To/from states of Alaska and
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hawaii, and the territories of
Guam, Puerto Rico (PR), American
Samoa (AS), Northern Mariana
Mail class Islands (MP), and U.S. Virgin
Hawaii, Hawaii, Islands (USVI)
Alaska Guam, MP, & PR & USVI Alaska Guam, MP, & PR & USVI ----------------------------------
AS AS Hawaii,
Alaska Guam, MP, & PR & USVI
AS
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First-Class Mail *............................. 1-4 1-4 1-2 4-5 4-5 4-5 5 5 5
Periodicals.................................... 3-5 3-5 3 13-19 12-22 11-16 21-25 21-26 23-26
USPS Marketing Mail............................ 3-5 3-5 3-4 14-20 13-23 12-17 23-26 23-27 24-27
Package Services............................... ** 2-4 2-4 2-3 12-18 11-21 10-15 21-26 20-26 20-24
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* Excluding USPS ConnectTM Local Mail.
** Excluding bypass mail.
Sarah Sullivan,
Attorney, Ethics and Legal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2022-26075 Filed 11-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 30, 2022.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.