[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 9, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67615-67617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24136]
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POSTAL SERVICE
39 CFR Part 111
Address Correction Notices
AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Postal Service is proposing to amend Mailing Standards of
the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) in
section 705.23, to update information regarding address correction
requests and remove hardcopy address correction notice options for
Full-Service and Seamless Acceptance mailers.
DATES: Submit comments on or before December 9, 2022.
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. If sending comments by email, include the
name and address of the commenter and send to
[email protected], with a subject line of ``Address Correction
Notices''. Faxed comments are not accepted.
Confidentiality
All submitted comments and attachments are part of the public
record and subject to disclosure. Do not enclose any material in your
comments that you consider to be confidential or inappropriate for
public disclosure.
You may inspect and photocopy all written comments, by appointment
only, at USPS[supreg] Headquarters Library, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 11th
Floor North, Washington, DC 20260. These records are available for
review on Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., by calling 202-268-
2906.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Starlene Blackwood at (901) 681-4475
or Garry Rodriguez at (202) 268-7281.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Ancillary service endorsements provide an option for mailers to
instruct the Postal Service on how to treat their mail if it is
determined to be undeliverable-as-addressed and to request address
correction services. Address corrections are currently available in
four available formats: a returned mailpiece with the new address or
reason for nondelivery attached; PS Form 3547 Notice to Mailer of
Correction in Address that is mailed to the return address on a
mailpiece; PS Form 3579 Notice of Undeliverable Periodical mailed to
the publisher address indicated in the publication ID Statement; or via
ACSTM (Address Change Service) which is an electronic
address correction notice made available to the sender via download
from a secure USPS website that requires a login and password to access
the files. Address correction fees are charged based on the method in
which they are provided, with return mail
[[Page 67616]]
costs and manual address correction fees that reflect the USPS costs to
handle those notices.
Participating Full-Service and Seamless Acceptance mailers receive
ACS notices at no charge. As a result, notices provided to mailers in
this format has far exceeded the volume of returned mail and PS Forms
3547 and 3579 requested and generated from undeliverable Full-Service
and Seamless Acceptance mail.
Proposal
The Postal Service is proposing to remove the option to request PS
Forms 3547, Notice to Mailer of Correction in Address, and PS Form
3579, Notice of Undeliverable Periodical, for Full-Service and Seamless
Acceptance mailers.
Full Service and Seamless Acceptance mailers and publishers that
desire address correction information from undeliverable as addressed
(UAA) mail will be required to receive address correction notices
electronically via ACS. Those mailers that apply the ancillary service
endorsement ``Address Service Requested'' or ``Change Service
Requested'' to their mail, and Periodical publishers will receive ACS
notices via the Data Distribution Dashboard from the Business Customer
Gateway or by enrolling in the Electronic Product Fulfillment (EPF)
secure website at https://epf.usps.gov. When appropriate, the
electronic or automated address correction fees will be charged for
each ACS notice provided.
The Postal Service is proposing to implement this change effective
July 9, 2023. However, mailers that currently request manual address
corrections via PS Form 3547 or PS Form 3579 may begin to request ACS
immediately. We believe this proposed revision will provide customers
with more efficient and less costly address correction notices.
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 public
comment on the following proposed revisions to Mailing Standards of the
United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), incorporated
by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 111.1.
We will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to
reflect these changes.
List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111
Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.
Accordingly, 39 CFR part 111 is proposed to be 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); 13 U.S.C. 301-307; 18 U.S.C. 1692-
1737; 39 U.S.C. 101, 401-404, 414, 416, 3001-3018, 3201-3220, 3401-
3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3629, 3631-3633, 3641, 3681-3685, and 5001.
0
2. Revise the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) as follows:
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail
Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
500 Additional Mailing Services
* * * * *
507 Mailer Services
* * * * *
4.0 Address Correction Services
* * * * *
4.2 Address Change Service (ACS)
* * * * *
4.2.6 Additional Standards--When Using Intelligent Mail Barcodes
[Revise the introductory text of 4.2.6 to read as follows:]
Mailers can access OneCode ACS using an Intelligent Mail barcode,
which contains a valid Service Type Identifier indicating the ancillary
service requested; a numeric Mailer ID; and the Serial Number, a unique
numeric mailpiece identifier (Keyline equivalent). This option is
available for letters and flat size pieces mailed as First-Class Mail,
USPS Marketing Mail, and Periodicals. Address Service, Change Service
and Return Service Ancillary Services are available for letters and
flat-sized mail pieces mailed as First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail,
and Bound Printed Matter (BPM), by choosing the appropriate ACS Service
Type Identifier in the Intelligent Mail barcode. USPS Marketing Mail
and Bound Printed Matter pieces with ACS using an Intelligent Mail
barcode require the use of a printed on-piece endorsement. ACS mailers
are encouraged to use the ``Electronic Service Requested'' text
endorsement. Other printed endorsements are not required to request
ancillary services in conjunction with an Intelligent Mail barcode used
on First-Class Mail or Periodicals mailpieces, and their use may
produce unintended results. Full-Service and Seamless Acceptance
mailers that desire separate address corrections using Address Service
and Change Service ancillary services must request ACS and will receive
the ACS notices through Full Service. See 705.23.5.2 for additional
standards. For other mailers, in order to receive requested ACS
information, mailers must notify the NCSC, ACS Department in Memphis,
TN, in writing, seven days prior to mailing to establish a method for
ACS notice fulfillment and to arrange for payment of electronic or
automated address correction fees. Mailpieces must meet the following
specifications:
* * * * *
700 Special Standards
* * * * *
705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems
* * * * *
23.0 Full-Service Automation Option
* * * * *
23.5 Additional Standards
* * * * *
23.5.2 Address Correction Notices
[Revise the text of 23.5.2 to read as follows:]
Mailers presenting mailpieces (except for those noted below) that
qualify for the full-service Intelligent Mail option will receive
automated address correction notices electronically when the pieces are
encoded with Intelligent Mail barcodes with ``Address Service
Requested'' or ``Change Service Requested'' under standards for OneCode
ACS and under the following conditions:
a. Mailpieces must include the appropriate ACS service type ID in
the Intelligent Mail barcode to match the ancillary service requested.
See 507.1.5 for mail disposition and address correction combinations by
class of mail.
b. Complimentary ACS ancillary service address correction notices
for mailpieces in full-service mailings are available for:
1. First-Class Mail letters and flats, provided at no charge
(printed endorsement not required for letters).
2. Periodicals letters and flats, provided at no charge (printed
endorsement not required).
3. USPS Marketing Mail letters and flats or BPM flats, provided at
no charge. USPS Marketing Mail and BPM pieces must include a printed
on-piece endorsement in addition to encoding the ACS ancillary service
request into
[[Page 67617]]
the Intelligent Mail barcode. See 507.4.2 for additional standards.
c. Mailers must use the ACS address correction information provided
by USPS to update their address records to receive notices without
paying additional fees. Beginning July 9, 2023, address corrections
will only be provided electronically in the Business Customer Gateway
under Mailing Reports utilizing the Data Distribution and Informed
Visibility Dashboard
d. A new Service Type Identifier (STID) Table will be published on
PostalPro removing all STID references for manual corrections when
mailers present qualifying Full-Service mail.
* * * * *
Sarah Sullivan,
Attorney, Ethics & Legal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2022-24136 Filed 11-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P