[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 20, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 9199-9200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2919]


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POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 111


Premium Forwarding Service

AGENCY: Postal Service\TM\.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This final rule revises Mailing Standards of the United States 
Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) to make Premium 
Forwarding Service (PFS) a permanent mail classification. There are no 
major changes in the permanent PFS classification compared with the 
experimental service offering.

DATES: Effective Date: March 2, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laraine Hope at 202-268-2138 or Garry 
Rodriguez at 202-268-7281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Postal Service published a final rule in 
the Federal Register on June 10, 2005 (70 FR 33836), introducing a new 
service called Premium Forwarding Service (PFS). PFS is a personalized 
service for reshipping mail from a customer's primary mailing address 
to a temporary address on a weekly basis using Priority Mail[supreg]. 
With PFS, the Postal Service reships mail to customers who are away for 
at least two weeks and up to one year.
    The Postal Service filed a Request for a Recommended Decision with 
the Postal Regulatory Commission on July 31, 2007, to make the 
experimental classification permanent. On January 7, 2008, the Postal 
Regulatory Commission issued its Recommended Decision that PFS become a 
permanent service offering (Docket No. MC2007-3). The Governors 
accepted that recommendation and the Board of Governors (BOG) of the 
Postal Service, in Resolution 08-1 (January 24, 2008), directed 
implementation of PFS as a permanent mail classification on March 2, 
2008.
    PFS will be a permanent classification effective March 2, 2008. 
There are no major changes in the permanent PFS classification compared 
with the experimental service offering.
    There were two minor changes made to the DMM language. The name of 
the fee charged to customers when they apply to use PFS is now referred 
to as an ``application fee'' for consistency. Also, the references to 
oversized parcels in renumbered sections 3.3.7 (formerly 709.4.3.7) and 
3.4.1 (formerly 709.4.4.1) were removed due to redundancy. Although the 
references to oversized parcels have been removed from the 
aforementioned sections, any oversized parcel not requiring a scan or 
signature or arriving postage due at the primary address is still 
charged the appropriate oversized Parcel Post[supreg] rate.
    The Postal Service adopts the following changes to Mailing 
Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual 
(DMM), which is 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 procedures, 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); 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 the following sections of Mailing Standards of the United 
States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), as follows:
* * * * *

500 Additional Mailing Services

* * * * *

507 Mailer Services

* * * * *
[Renumber 3.0 through 12.0 as 4.0 through 13.0. Add new 3.0, Premium 
Forwarding Service, as follows:]

3.0 Premium Forwarding Service

3.1 Rates and Fees

3.1.1 Application Fee

    Customers must pay a $10.00 nonrefundable application fee.

3.1.2 Weekly Reshipment Charge

    The reshipment charge for each Priority Mail shipment to one 
temporary address is $11.95 for each week of service requested. The 
amount due for the total weeks requested must be paid in full at the 
time the application is received.

3.1.3 Extension of Service

    A Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) customer may contact the post 
office responsible for delivery to the primary address prior to the 
last shipment date and extend PFS service (up to 1 year maximum service 
from the initial start date) as needed. An extension is processed only 
after the post office receives payment of the reshipment charges due 
for the total weeks of extension requested.

3.1.4 Early Termination of Service

    A customer who terminates PFS early (e.g., a customer prepays for 
10 weeks but returns to a primary address after 8 weeks, either 
temporarily or permanently) may request a refund for any unused weekly 
shipment charges from the post office serving the primary address. The 
application fee is nonrefundable.

3.2 Basic Standards

3.2.1 Description

    Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) provides residential delivery 
customers and certain post office box customers an option to have all 
mail addressed to their primary address reshipped or rerouted to a 
temporary address, mainly by means of a weekly Priority Mail shipment. 
PFS is available for a period of not less than 2 weeks and not more 
than 1 year. This optional service is separate from the piece-by-piece 
forwarding service offered in 2.0, whereby only certain mailpieces are 
forwarded.

3.2.2 Use

    Participation in PFS is subject to the following standards:
    a. PFS is available to residential delivery customers and to post 
office box customers with a size-one or size-two post office box.
    b. A customer must submit a completed PFS application, Form 8176, 
Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) Application, as specified by the 
Postal Service. The application fee and weekly reshipment charges for 
the full duration of the requested service must accompany the 
application.
    c. Except as provided in 3.2.2d, customers must designate on the 
application whether the order is for an ``Individual'' or an ``Entire 
Household.''
    d. For customers whose primary address is a post office box, only 
the box customer is authorized to initiate the

[[Page 9200]]

application and ``Entire Household'' must be designated on the 
application.
    e. PFS is available for a period of not less than 2 weeks and not 
more than 1 year.
    f. PFS is available only from and to domestic addresses.
    g. PFS is available to, but not from, single-point central delivery 
addresses such as RV parks, hospitals, hotels, and U.S. Department of 
State addresses. See 703.3.0 for additional U.S. Department of State 
requirements.

3.2.3 Prohibited Use

    PFS cannot be combined with any ancillary or extra services beyond 
those purchased by the original sender. In addition, PFS is not 
available for:
    a. Customers who have an active temporary or permanent change-of-
address (COA).
    b. Customers who have an active Hold Mail Authorization (PS Form 
8076). Mail that has previously been held at the primary address post 
office cannot be included in PFS reshipments to a customer's temporary 
address.
    c. Customers whose primary address is a size-three, size-four, or 
size-five post office box. Residential customers who use these post 
office box sizes due to the unavailability of smaller boxes may request 
a waiver of this restriction.
    d. Customers whose primary address is a business delivery address.
    e. Customers whose primary address is a central point to which the 
USPS provides delivery in bulk to a third party, such as a commercial 
mail receiving agency (CMRA), RV park, trailer park, or hotel.
    f. Customers whose primary address or temporary address is an APO 
or FPO.
    g. Customers whose temporary address is within the 969 3-digit ZIP 
Code area or is otherwise in a U.S. territory or possession that 
requires a customs declaration.

3.3 Preparation

3.3.1 Weekly Priority Mail Reshipments

    Regardless of any mailer's ancillary service endorsement on a 
mailpiece, all mail is reshipped in the weekly Priority Mail shipment, 
except as specified in 3.3.2 through 3.4.1.

3.3.2 Mailpieces Arriving at the Primary Address Endorsed ``Surface 
Mail Only'' or With Other Hazardous Materials Markings

    Any mailpiece arriving at the primary address that indicates 
surface only transportation such as Label 127, ``Surface Mail Only'' or 
bears other hazardous materials markings such as ``Consumer Commodity 
ORM-D'', cannot be reshipped in the weekly Priority Mail shipment and 
must be rerouted separately via surface transportation.

3.3.3 Mailpieces Requiring a Scan or Signature at Delivery

    Mailpieces requiring a scan or signature at delivery, such as 
Express Mail, Certified Mail, numbered insured mail or mailpieces with 
Delivery Confirmation, are appropriately scanned, then rerouted 
immediately and separately to the temporary address, subject to the 
following:
    a. Express Mail, Priority Mail, and First-Class Mail are rerouted 
at no additional charge.
    b. Standard Mail parcels are separately rerouted postage due at the 
appropriate 1-pound Parcel Post single-piece rate.
    c. Package Services mailpieces (Parcel Post, Bound Printed Matter, 
Media Mail, and Library Mail) are separately rerouted postage due at 
the appropriate single-piece rate in the subclass in which the 
mailpiece was originally shipped. For Parcel Select items, the 
applicable rate is the Parcel Post rate.

3.3.4 Priority Mail Not Requiring a Scan or Signature at Delivery

    Priority Mail that does not require a scan or signature at delivery 
is immediately and separately rerouted to the temporary address, unless 
it will fit into the weekly Priority Mail shipment and such inclusion 
does not delay its delivery to the temporary address.

3.3.5 Large First-Class Mail and Periodicals Parcels Not Requiring a 
Scan or Signature at Delivery

    First-Class Mail and Periodicals parcels (firm bundles) not 
requiring a scan or signature at delivery and that do not fit into the 
weekly Priority Mail shipment are separately rerouted at no additional 
charge.

3.3.6 Standard Mail Parcels Not Requiring a Scan or Signature at 
Delivery

    Eligible Standard Mail parcels that do not require a scan or 
signature at delivery are included in the weekly Priority Mail shipment 
provided they will fit. Parcels that do not fit or are otherwise 
ineligible (e.g., mailpieces identified as surface transportation only) 
are separately rerouted postage due at the appropriate 1-pound Parcel 
Post single-piece rate.

3.3.7 Package Services Mailpieces Not Requiring a Scan or Signature at 
Delivery

    Package Services mailpieces not requiring a scan or signature at 
delivery are separately rerouted postage due at the appropriate single-
piece rate in the subclass in which the mailpiece was originally 
shipped. For Parcel Select items, the applicable rate is the Parcel 
Post rate.

3.4 Enter and Deposit

3.4.1 Mailpieces Arriving Postage Due at the Primary Address

    Any mailpiece arriving postage due at the Post Office serving a 
customer's primary address is not reshipped in the weekly Priority Mail 
shipment and will be rerouted individually. Mailpieces arriving postage 
due are rerouted as follows:
    a. Postage due First-Class Mail mailpieces are rerouted as First-
Class Mail postage due. Only the original postage due amount is 
collected. There is no additional charge for rerouting the mailpiece.
    b. Postage due Priority Mail mailpieces are rerouted as Priority 
Mail postage due. Only the original postage due amount is collected. 
There is no additional charge for rerouting the mailpiece.
    c. Postage due Package Services mailpieces are rerouted postage due 
at the appropriate single-piece rate in the subclass in which the 
mailpiece was originally shipped. For Parcel Select items, the 
applicable rate is the Parcel Post rate. The total postage due for 
Package Services mailpieces is the sum of the postage due at the time 
of receipt at the primary address plus the postage due for rerouting 
the mailpiece from the primary post office to the temporary address at 
the appropriate single-piece rate.
* * * * *

700 Special Standards

* * * * *

709 Experimental Classifications and Rates

[Delete 4.0, Premium Forwarding Service. Premium Forwarding Service 
becomes a permanent offering in 507.]
* * * * *
    An appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to reflect these 
changes will be published.

Neva Watson,
Attorney, Legislative.
[FR Doc. E8-2919 Filed 2-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P