Hatching Another’s Egg – Commentary

The Executive Order issued last March 31 has placed the Postal Service in an exceptional no-win situation.  Generally, the instructions in that order mandated that the agency perform certain functions, and establish and enforce related processes, to block ineligible individuals from voting by mail.  The USPS was also told to produce mailing standards for the envelopes used to send and…

Read More

New Jersey Law Drawing Mailers’ Attention

Mailers Hub’s legal advisors have provided an update on what to know about New Jersey’s new data broker law. New Jersey’s new data privacy law, governing “data brokers” and “data collectors” – much of which has taken immediate effect – has been a shock to the system for those working in and around direct omnichannel retailing. Even if it does…

Read More

PRC Approves USPS Proposed Rates as Filed; Rejects NCOA+

In a 288-page order issued May 27, the Postal Regulatory Commission approved as filed the prices for market-dominant products that were proposed by the Postal Service on April 9.  The commission also approved all proposed incentives and promotions and related classification changes as filed, except for the proposed new NCOA+ service.  Charts reflecting the approved rates are at the end…

Read More

Extended Producer Responsibility: Our Legal Advisors Offer Guidance

The issue of extended producer responsibility is a growing concern for commercial mail producers, so our legal advisors from Brann & Issacson have offered our subscribers some guidance on the matter. California’s Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Program: Why Commercial Printers and Mailers AreOfficially in the Conversation For years, environmental compliance lived comfortably upstream – brand owners worried about it, packaging…

Read More

Information Decades Too Late – Analysis

On November 24, the Postal Service published Postmarks and Postal Possession, its final rule about postmarks and their meaning.  While the document seeks to clarify that postmarks don’t mean what many Americans might think, it’s fifty years too late in doing so.  Moreover, given its association with the Regional Transportation Initiative, it contaminates a simple statement with other more subjective…

Read More

A New Legal Worry: Extended Producer Responsibility Laws

Commercial mail producers have another legal development warranting their attention. What is EPR? Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that has gained traction in the last several years. It aims to shift responsibility for the recycling and related post-use costs of packaging and other recyclable goods onto “producers” – a definition that can reach brand-owner retailers. As of…

Read More

PRC Estimates Value of USO and Monopolies

Every year in its annual report, the Postal Regulatory Commission provides its estimate of the value of the Postal Service’s monopolies over the delivery of some hard-copy mail and access to the mailbox.  At the same time, the PRC estimates the cost to the USPS for its Universal Service Obligation.  Both figures are for the prior full fiscal year.  On…

Read More

Finger-pointing Follows Withdrawal of PCH NSA

As the saying goes, “Success has many parents while failure is an orphan.”  To a degree, this may apply to the stillborn negotiated service agreement with Publishers Clearing House that the Postal Service had filed last August 11.  That filing was different from other NSAs in that it was for market-dominant mail, not competitive products.  As the USPS stated in…

Read More