[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 79 (Wednesday, April 24, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17124-17125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08222]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 551


Definition of Private Carrier for Premium PO Box Delivery

AGENCY: Postal Service\TM\.

ACTION: Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Postal Service seeks customer and other stakeholder 
feedback to define the phrase ``packages from private carriers,'' as 
used in connection with PO Box Street Addressing. The Postal Service is 
contemplating an amendment to Mailing Standards of the United States 
Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) to clarify the 
Street Addressing Additional Service available at many Premium Post 
Office Box Service locations.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 24, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Product 
Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, 
Washington, DC 20260-5015. Email comments and questions to 
[email protected] using the subject line ``Street 
Addressing at Premium PO Box Service Locations.'' Faxed comments will 
not be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derek F. Hatten, Sr. Retail Services 
Specialist, Retail Partners and Services, 202-268-6919, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 17, 2010, the Postal Regulatory 
Commission (PRC) approved the initial request of the Postal Service to 
transfer some Post Office Box (PO Box\TM\) Service locations from the 
market dominant list to the competitive product list (see Order No. 
473, Order Approving Request to Transfer Selected Post Office Box 
Service Locations to the Competitive Product List, PRC Docket No. 
MC2010-20). Additional locations were transferred following PRC 
approval in subsequent Order No. 780, Order Approving Request to 
Transfer Additional Post Office Box Service Locations to the 
Competitive Product List, PRC Docket No. MC2011-25 (Jul. 29, 2011). At 
these locations, the Postal Service now provides some of the same 
services offered by its competitors. These ``Additional Services,'' 
which are available at Premium PO Box service locations (formerly 
referred to as ``Move To Competitive'' locations) for no additional fee 
above the PO Box fees, include a service called ``Street Addressing.''
    On February 14, 2013, language was added to the Mail Classification 
Schedule (MCS) describing the Street Addressing feature, including the 
option of receiving ``packages from private carriers'' (see Order No. 
1657, Order on Elective Filing Regarding Post Office Box Service 
Enhancements, PRC Docket

[[Page 17125]]

No. MC2012-26; MCS Sec.  2640.1.g). In related proceedings, the Postal 
Service explained that the delivery of private carrier packages would 
provide a service frequently requested by its customers, addressing a 
concern posed by the fact that some eCommerce merchants will not ship 
to a PO Box address (See id. at 6). A description of the Street 
Addressing feature was subsequently added to DMM 508.4.5.4.a, which 
states that customers who choose to use the street addressing 
designation also have the option of receiving packages from private 
carriers at the customer's Post Office Box address, if the packages 
conform to the maximum standards of 70 pounds in weight and 130 inches 
in combined length and girth. The street addressing feature may be used 
when the merchant or retailer does not accept the PO Box address format 
as a deliverable address.
    When the Postal Service first introduced PO Box Street Addressing, 
there were very few private carriers or delivery competitors who would 
deliver packages to a PO Box customer. This made it simple for Premium 
PO Box Post Offices to accept and deliver packages that bore the street 
address equivalent of the PO Box address. They could easily recognize a 
private carrier, and accept and deliver the PO Box customer's packages 
with little concern as to whether the carrier was legitimate or the 
customer actually had requested that the package be delivered to the PO 
Box. However, as the shipping and delivery industry has evolved, so has 
the competition for last mile delivery.
    Since the introduction of PO Box Street Addressing, a number of 
pilot efforts have aimed to reduce the delivery time of packages to the 
customer. These efforts include, but are not limited to, employees 
delivering packages using their personally owned vehicles, online 
retailers creating their own delivery operations, and retailers using 
crowdsourcing or taxi services to deliver packages. Where once the term 
``private carriers'' would be commonly understood to include 
traditional shipping providers such as UPS and FedEx, now there are 
many more delivery options, including ``regional'' delivery companies 
such as LaserShip and localized or crowdsourced delivery startups such 
as PostMates and Deliv. Not all employees or persons who might deliver 
a package to a PO Box wear uniforms or are readily identified as being 
associated with a legitimate ``private carrier.'' Nor do all items 
submitted for delivery meet the traditional definition of a ``package'' 
according to Postal Service mailability standards. As one example, some 
Post Offices have been asked to accept open, tote-style shopping bags 
containing merchandise, in lieu of a sealed box or envelope. Others 
have been presented with packages labeled only with the customer's name 
but without the street address, and delivered by employees or 
contractors of a merchant with no clear indication of where the package 
originated.
    As a practical matter, the advances in last mile delivery have 
created confusion as to who may deliver packages to a Premium PO Box 
customer when the customer uses the street address equivalent of their 
PO Box address to order merchandise. Therefore, the Postal Service 
seeks input on how the term ``private carriers,'' as used in DMM 
508.4.5.4.a, should be defined, and how best to clarify that only 
properly sealed items mailed as a ``package'' may be delivered. These 
clarifications are necessary to ensure that Postal Service employees 
follow proper procedures, which helps prevent fraud and ensures the 
safety and security of customers and Postal Service personnel.
    We will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 551 if the 
Postal Service adopts any changes to the definition of ``packages from 
private carriers,'' as used in connection with Street Addressing, in 
DMM 508.4.5.4.a.

Ruth B. Stevenson,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2019-08222 Filed 4-23-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7710-12-P