[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6047-6049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2255]
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POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 111
Shipper Paid Forwarding for Fourth-Class Mail
AGENCY: Postal Service.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Postal Service proposes to provide fourth-class mailers
with an option to pay for the nonlocal forwarding of machinable fourth-
class mail when participating in automatic electronic address
correction service. Those mailers requested this option to the current
forwarding standards so that, if they choose, they can pay for the
nonlocal forwarding of their customers' catalogs, books, merchandise
and other fourth-class matter. The intended effects of this option are
to increase mailer satisfaction with fourth-class mail; increase
customer satisfaction by reducing the need to charge them postage-due
for forwarded fourth-class mail, and for them to travel to the post
office to get such pieces; and improve service by facilitating fewer
handlings for such mail both in processing and in delivery.
DATES: Comments on the proposed rule must be received on or before
March 3, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Parcels,
Product Management, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Room 5142, Washington, DC
20260-2408. Copies of all written comments will be available for
inspection and photocopying between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday, in room 5142, at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Tolson, (202) 268-3149.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Currently parcels, catalogs, books,
merchandise, etc., sent to customers who have moved outside their local
area are forwarded to the new address, postage due. The applicable
amount, based on the mailpiece's classification, weight, and the
delivery zone of the new address, is collected from the recipient.
Depending upon the customer's availability at time of delivery, the
package may be: (1) Accepted and the postage collected, (2) refused and
returned to the shipper requesting payment for the forwarding and
return postage due and other applicable fees, (3) returned to the post
office for re-delivery or customer pickup, or (4) disposed of by the
Postal Service.
Fourth-class mailers have requested that the USPS provide an option
to this forwarding standard so that mailers can, if they choose, pay
for nonlocal forwarding of their customers' parcels, catalogs, books,
merchandise, etc.
In view of these requests, the Postal Service and the fourth-class
mailing industry jointly developed a proposal to meet the needs of
large fourth-class shippers to provide nonlocal forwarding for mail
sent to their customers. This optional service has been designated
Shipper Paid Forwarding (SPF) and, as proposed, will operate through
the existing electronic Address Change Service (ACS). As a result, SPF
will be available only to mailers participating in ACS. Further,
because of the limitations of the current ACS system, SPF will be
offered at this time only for machinable parcels (i.e., parcels that
are not subject to a nonmachinable surcharge if mailed at inter-BMC
parcel post rates). The Postal Service will consider modifying the ACS
system in the future to accommodate SPF for nonmachinable parcels if
there is sufficient customer demand.
As designed, SPF will allow the Postal Service to use the
electronic systems developed for ACS and will piggyback on the existing
fee billing and collection feature of ACS. Automatic electronic ACS
notification will be provided for each forwarded package, subject to
the ACS change notification fee (currently $0.20 per notice). Shippers
will be able to use corrected address information immediately upon
receipt to update mailing files and avoid additional forwarding
charges.
Participating ACS/SPF mailers will be required to provide the
weight of the package in pound or half-pound increments (as appropriate
for the rate claimed) and indicate the rate category of the mailpiece.
This information will be imbedded as the first 4 characters of the
customer information keyline. Based on the current ACS keyline, the
ACS/SPF keyline is located in the address block and consists of 4 to 16
characters (excluding spaces and delimiters), set off by pound sign (#)
delimiters. In addition to the 4 characters of required postal
information, up to 12 characters may be used for customer information,
the last position serving as a check digit. (The required single-
character rate category codes will be provided to authorized SPF
participants.) For example, the keyline on a 2.5-pound piece of basic
bulk bound printed matter (code B) would begin as #025B, followed (if
used by the mailer) by the individual customer information, a check
digit, and a closing # delimiter.
This proposed rule provides for an application and authorization
process for ACS and for SPF. Upon approval of a new ACS/SPF application
for this service, the mailer will be assigned a new 7-character ACS
participation code specifically for use with SPF. Current ACS users
must also request a new participation code to use the SPF service
option. The ACS participation code must be preceded by a # delimiter.
An authorized ACS mailer must place the endorsement ``Forwarding
and Return Postage Guaranteed, Address Correction Requested'' and the
correct keyline on each mailpiece for which SPF is requested. (A
separate identifier code may be maintained and used by the mailer for
pieces on which only ACS service is desired. The Postal Service will
provide ACS or SPF, and charge the corresponding fees, based on the
mailer's choice of codes.) As proposed, SPF will provide forwarding for
1 year from the date that the recipient filed a change of address, and
return (postage due) to the sender for 6 months more (i.e., for months
13 through 18 after the addressee's move). Customers receiving SPF
packages will see a message on the USPS-applied forwarding label
reading ``FORWARDING POSTAGE PAID BY MAILER.'' The mailer will receive
an electronic bill from the Postal Service's St. Louis Information
Services Support Center that includes both forwarding postage and
address correction notice fees. Other standards applicable to the
forwarding, return, and address correction of fourth-class mail remain
in force.
In conjunction with this proposal, the USPS also announces a change
in the ACS frequency in F030.2.2 from ``weekly or monthly'' to ``as
requested by the mailer,'' reflecting the USPS [[Page 6048]] ability to
provide ACS participants with address change information more
frequently than as stated in the current standards.
Although exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(b), (c)) regarding proposed
rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 410(a), the Postal Service invites comments on
the following proposed revisions of the DMM, incorporated by reference
in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR part 111.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111
Postal Service.
PART 111--[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 111 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 3001-
3011, 3201-3219, 3403-3406, 3621, 3626, 5001.
2. Revise the following units of the Domestic Mail Manual as noted
below:
F010 Basic Information
* * * * *
5.0 TREATMENT OF CLASSES OF MAIL
* * * * *
5.4 Fourth-Class Mail
* * * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mailer endorsement USPS action
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Endorsement......... Forwarded locally at no charge; out of town, as
postage-due. If undeliverable or addressee
refused to pay postage, mailpiece returned
with new address or reason for nondelivery,
subject to forwarding (where attempted) and
return postage.
Do Not Forward, Do Not No forwarding or return service provided;
Return. mailpiece disposed of by USPS.
Forwarding and Return Forwarded locally at no charge; out of town, as
Postage Guaranteed. postage-due. If undeliverable or addressee
refused to pay postage, mailpiece returned
with new address or reason for nondelivery,
subject to forwarding (where attempted) and
return postage.
Forwarding and Return Pieces from ACS Shipper Paid Forwarding
Postage Guaranteed, participants: Forwarded locally and out of
Address Correction town at no charge to addressee. If forwarded,
Requested (1). separate address-correction notice provided,
subject to address-correction fee and (if
forwarded out of town) forwarding postage
(billed to mailer). If mailpiece
undeliverable, mailpiece returned with new
address or reason for nondelivery, subject to
return postage. Other pieces: Forwarded
locally at no charge; out of town, as postage-
due. If forwarded, separate address-correction
notice provided, subject to address-correction
fee. If mailpiece undeliverable or addressee
refused to pay postage, mailpiece returned
with new address or reason for nondelivery,
subject to forwarding (where attempted) and
return postage.
Do Not Forward, Do Not No forwarding or return service provided;
Return, Address separate address-correction notice provided,
Correction Requested subject to address-correction fee; mailpiece
(2). disposed of by USPS.
Do Not Forward, Address No forwarding service provided; mailpiece
Correction Requested, returned with new address or reason for
Return Postage nondelivery, subject to return postage.
Guaranteed (3).
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(1) The authorized abbreviation for this endorsement is ``Forward &
Address Correction.'' This abbreviation is authorized where the full
endorsement cannot be accommodated.
(2) The authorized abbreviation for this endorsement is ``Do Not Forward
or Return--Address Cor.'' This abbreviation is authorized where the
full endorsement cannot be accommodated.
(3) The authorized abbreviation for this endorsement is ``Do Not
Forward--Address Cor-- Return Guar.'' This abbreviation is authorized
where the full endorsement cannot be accommodated.
* * * * *
6.0 ENCLOSURES OR ATTACHMENTS
* * * * *
6.3 Fourth-Class
Undeliverable, unendorsed fourth-class mail with nonincidental
First-Class Mail attachments or enclosures is forwarded, if requested
by mailer endorsement, or returned at the applicable single-piece
fourth-class rate. The weight of the First-Class attachment or
enclosure is not included when computing the charges for return of the
mailpiece. Undeliverable, unendorsed fourth-class mail with incidental
First-Class attachments or enclosures is returned at the applicable
single-piece fourth-class rate.
* * * * *
F020 Forwarding
* * * * *
3.0 POSTAGE FOR FORWARDING
* * * * *
3.6 Fourth-Class
Fourth-class mail is subject to the collection of additional
postage at the applicable rate for nonlocal forwarding if guaranteed by
the sender or recipient. Unless endorsed ``Do Not Forward, Do Not
Return,'' all fourth-class mail is delivered as directed without
additional postage charged when the old and new addresses are served by
the same post office. The addressee may refuse any piece of forwarded
fourth-class mail without losing the right to have other fourth-class
mail forwarded. If the addressee does not want to pay forwarding
postage for all fourth-class mail, the addressee must ask the
postmaster of the new address to use Form 3546 to notify the postmaster
of the old address to discontinue the forwarding of fourth-class mail.
(Such a request will not affect the forwarding of fourth-class mail
sent by SPF participants, who pay forwarding postage under F030.)
* * * * *
F030 Address Correction, Address Change, and Return Services
* * * * *
2.0 ADDRESS CHANGE SERVICE (ACS)
2.1 Description
ACS centralizes, automates, and improves the processing of
participating mailers' requests for address-correction information by
unique publication or mailer identifier. Address-correction records are
sequentially organized by USPS-assigned codes and distributed to each
participating mailer.
2.2 Shipper Paid Forwarding (SPF)
An option available to ACS participants, SPF allows for the
collection of forwarding and return postage from the sender by
including those charges concurrently with ACS fees. Mail forwarded or
returned under SPF remains subject to F010, F020, and 3.2. SPF may be
requested only for parcels that, if mailed at inter-BMC parcel post
rates, would not be subject to the nonmachinable surcharge. ACS/
[[Page 6049]] SPF requires USPS authorization under 2.3 and mailer use
of a unique ACS/SPF identifier as part of an address block keyline. The
keyline mail must be left-justified (below the optional endorsement
line, if used), and must begin with a pound sign (#) delimiter,
followed by the 4-character code indicating the weight and rate
category of the piece, up to 12 characters of optional customer
information (the last of which is a check digit), and a closing #
delimiter. (ACS participants must use the specific ACS/SPF identifier
and keyline format to participate in ACS/SPF.) For information, write
to USPS ACS/SPF, National Customer Support Center.
2.3 Availability of ACS and ACS/SPF
Where mail is marked with ACS symbols under M013, ACS and ACS/SPF
are available to authorized mailers who maintain their address records
on computers and whose mail bears the correct endorsement to obtain
address correction and nonlocal fourth-class forwarding. ACS and ACS/
SPF are available on the frequency requested by the mailer. Because ACS
and ACS/SPF are associated with USPS-computerized forwarding
operations, these services are not available at all post offices.
Information about ACS or SPF (including application) is available from:
USPS Address Change Service, National Customer Support Center.
[Renumber existing 2.3 and 2.4 as 2.4 and 2.5, respectively; no change
in text]
* * * * *
3.0 SENDER INSTRUCTION
* * * * *
3.2 Special Services
* * * * *
e. Insured fourth-class mail without any other endorsement is
forwarded at no charge locally and postage-due nonlocally if the
recipient guarantees to pay forwarding postage. Insured fourth-class
mail endorsed for ACS/SPF under 2.2 is forwarded at no charge to the
addressee. (For forwarding, local means within the same post office.)
If the article is undeliverable, the USPS returns it to the sender with
the new address or the reason for nondelivery. The sender is charged
for the return of the mailpiece and the attempted forwarding, when
appropriate.
* * * * *
M013 Optional Endorsement Lines
* * * * *
2.0 FORMAT
2.1 Presort Identification
Except when an address block barcode is placed above the optional
endorsement line, the appropriate presort identification must be the
first line at the top of the address block or label. Mailers
participating in Address Change Service (ACS), including ACS with or
Shipper Paid Forwarding (SPF), under F030 may use the first eight
positions on the left side of the optional endorsement line for the ACS
or ACS/SPF participant code (see Exhibit 2.1). Third-class mailers
participating in the EX3C or BBM/SPMS measurement system may use the
first 14 positions on the left side of the optional endorsement line
for the measurement system code specified by the USPS for that program.
* * * * *
2.4 Non-ACS, Non-EX3C, and Non-BBM/SPMS Labels
On labels not used with ACS (including ACS/SPF), EX3C, or BBM/SPMS,
the optional endorsement line must be filled with asterisks from the
left margin of the label or address block (as defined by the position
of the first character printed in the address block or on the address
label) up to the first character in the optional endorsement line.
2.5 ACS and ACS/SPF Labels
On labels used with ACS or ACS/SPF, the delimiter # must be in the
first position at the left margin of the optional endorsement line,
followed by the seven-character ACS or ACS/SPF participation code
assigned by the USPS; the remaining space between the code and the
first character of the makeup information must be filled with
asterisks. The keyline required on ACS/SPF mail under F030 must be
left-justified below the optional endorsement line.
* * * * *
An appropriate amendment to 39 CFR 111.3 to reflect these changes
will be published if the proposal is adopted.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 95-2255 Filed 1-31-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P