[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72412-72413]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29287]


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POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CP2013-22; Order No. 1557]


International Mail Contract

AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing 
concerning an additional inbound competitive Multi-Service Agreements 
with Foreign Postal Operators 1 negotiated service agreement with 
Hongkong Post. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites 
public comment, and takes other administrative steps.

DATES: Comments are due: December 10, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments electronically via the Commission's Filing 
Online system at http://www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit comments 
electronically should contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section by telephone for advice on filing 
alternatives.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen L. Sharfman, General Counsel, 
at 202-789-6820.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. Contents of Filing
III. Commission Action
IV. Ordering Paragraphs

I. Introduction

    On November 28, 2012, the Postal Service filed a Notice, pursuant 
to 39 CFR 3015.5, stating that it has entered into an additional 
negotiated service agreement with foreign postal operator Hongkong Post 
(Agreement).\1\ The Postal Service seeks to have the inbound portion of 
the Agreement, which concerns delivery of inbound Air CP \2\, included 
within Inbound Competitive Multi-Service Agreements with Foreign Postal 
Operators 1 (MC2012-34) on the competitive product list. Notice at 1.
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    \1\ Notice of United States Postal Service of Filing 
Functionally Equivalent Inbound Competitive Multi-Service Agreement 
with a Foreign Postal Operator, November 28, 2012 (Notice).
    \2\ ``CP'' is an abbreviation used to identify or reference 
international parcel post (from the French phrase colis postaux, 
``postal package'').
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II. Notice of Filing

    The Postal Service's filing consists of the Notice, an Excel file 
containing redacted financial workpapers, and four attachments. 
Attachment 1 is a redacted copy of the Agreement. Attachment 2 is the 
certified statement required by 39 CFR 3015.5(c)(2). Attachment 3 is a 
redacted copy of the Governors' Decision No. 10-3. Attachment 4 is an 
application for non-public treatment of unredacted material. Id. at 3. 
The Agreement's intended effective date is January 1, 2013. Id. at 4. 
The term is for one year after the effective date, unless terminated 
sooner. Id.
    The Postal Service reviews the regulatory history of the Inbound 
Competitive Multi-Service Agreements with Foreign Operators 1 product 
and identifies the TNT Agreement (approved

[[Page 72413]]

in Docket No. CP2010-95) as the baseline agreement for purposes of 
determining the functional equivalence of the instant Agreement.\3\ Id. 
at 3. It asserts that the instant Agreement fits within applicable Mail 
Classification Schedule language and addresses functional equivalency 
with the baseline agreement, including similarity of cost 
characteristics. Id. at 3-7. The Postal Service also identifies 
differences between the two contracts, such as the deletion of an 
article, the addition of an article, revisions to articles as a result 
of negotiations, and the term, but asserts that these differences do 
not detract from a finding of functional equivalency. Id. at 5-6.
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    \3\ The Postal Service identifies Governors' Decision No. 10-3 
as the enabling Governors' Decision. Id. at 5. The status of the TNT 
Agreement as the baseline agreement was confirmed in Order No. 840, 
issued September 7, 2011.
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III. Commission Action

    Notice of establishment of docket. The Commission establishes 
Docket No. CP2013-22 for consideration of matters raised by the Notice. 
The Commission appoints Allison J. Levy to serve as Public 
Representative in this docket.
    Interested persons may submit comments on whether the Postal 
Service's filing in the captioned docket is consistent with the 
policies of 39 U.S.C. 3632 and 3633 and the requirements of 39 CFR part 
3015. Comments are due no later than December 10, 2012. The public 
portions of this filing can be accessed via the Commission's Web site 
(http://www.prc.gov). Information on obtaining access to sealed 
material appears in 39 CFR part 3007.

IV. Ordering Paragraphs

    It is ordered:
    1. The Commission establishes Docket No. CP2013-22 for 
consideration of matters raised by the Postal Service's November 28, 
2012 Notice.
    2. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Allison J. Levy is appointed to serve 
as an officer of the Commission (Public Representative) to represent 
the interests of the general public in this proceeding.
    3. Comments by interested persons in this proceeding are due no 
later than December 10, 2012.
    4. The Secretary shall arrange for publication of this Order in the 
Federal Register.

    By the Commission.
Ruth Ann Abrams,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-29287 Filed 12-4-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-FW-P