Federal Register, Volume 76 Issue 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2011)

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 297-298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-33170]


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POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION

39 CFR Part 3050

[Docket No. RM2011-5; Order No. 625]


Periodic Reporting

AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; availability of rulemaking 
petition.

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SUMMARY: The Commission is establishing a docket to consider a proposed 
change in certain analytical methods used in periodic reporting. This 
action responds to a Postal Service rulemaking petition. Establishing 
this docket will allow the Commission to consider the Postal Service's 
proposal and comments from the public.

DATES: Comments are due: January 28, 2011.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen L. Sharfman, General Counsel, 
at [email protected] or 202-789-6820.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulatory History, 75 FR 58449 (Sept. 24, 
2010).
    On December 20, 2010, the Postal Service filed a petition pursuant 
to 39 CFR 3050.11 asking the Commission to initiate an informal 
rulemaking proceeding to consider changes in the analytical methods 
approved for use in periodic reporting.\1\ Four separate proposals, 
labeled Proposals Nine through Twelve, are included in the Petition.
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    \1\ Petition of the United States Postal Service Requesting 
Initiation of a Proceeding to Consider Proposed Changes in Analytic 
Principles (Proposals Nine-Twelve), December 20, 2010 (Petition).
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    Proposal Nine proposes to update the input data to the mail 
processing cost model for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail presort 
letters in several respects, and to change the method by which the cost 
of sorting bundles of letters is

[[Page 298]]

estimated. The Postal Service proposes to rely primarily on data from 
the manual density table to estimate the number of handlings of letter 
bundles. It comments that any additional changes to the cost 
methodology and structure of the presort letter cost models should be 
addressed in Docket No. RM2010-13. Id. at 2.
    Proposal Ten concerns Inbound International Mail. For FY 2010, it 
proposes to change the assignment of In-Office Cost System (IOCS)-based 
clerk and mail handler labor costs to country groups Canada, 
Industrialized Countries, and Developing Countries, so that normal 
downstream Cost and Revenue Analysis (CRA) and International Cost and 
Revenue Analysis (ICRA) processes can automatically distribute costs to 
those groups consistent with the way that clerk and mail handler costs 
are distributed to other products. (The standard distribution method 
reflects cost pools, container types, and shape distinctions--not just 
direct IOCS tallies).
    Proposal Eleven concerns International Money Transfers (IMTS). The 
Postal Service proposes to change the method for reporting IMTS 
separately for Inbound and Outbound products using information gathered 
from Point-of-Sale (POS), IOCS, and Chapter 9 in USPS-FY09-NPS. This, 
it says, will create two new line items in the ICRA report: IMTS-
Outbound and IMTS-Inbound, but would not affect the sum currently 
reported in the IMTS line in that report.
    Proposal Twelve would affect the Media/Library Mail Processing Cost 
Model, the Bound Printed Matter Transportation Cost Model, and the Bulk 
Parcel Return Service Cost Model. In the 2009 ACD, the Commission 
expressed concern that use of the Intra- and Inter-BMC volume split for 
single-piece Parcel Post in the above-referenced cost models is no 
longer appropriate because that distinction no longer exists for 
single-piece Parcel Post. The Postal Service proposes to use the 
percent of total single-piece Parcel Post volume comprised of volume 
for Zones 1, 2, and 3 as the new proxy in the above-referenced models.
    The Petition includes attachments that discuss the background, 
rationale, and impact of Proposals Nine through Twelve. The Petition, 
including the attachments, is available for review on the Commission's 
Web site, http://www.prc.gov. Comments on Proposals Nine through Twelve 
are due no later than January 28, 2011.
    Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, John P. Klingenberg is appointed as 
Public Representative to represent the interests of the general public 
in this proceeding.
    It is ordered:
    1. The Petition of the United States Postal Service Requesting 
Initiation of a Proceeding to Consider Proposed Changes in Analytic 
Principles (Proposals Nine-Twelve), filed December 20, 2010, is 
granted.
    2. The Commission establishes Docket No. RM2011-5 to consider the 
matters raised by the Postal Service's Petition.
    3. Interested person may submit comments on Proposals Nine through 
Twelve no later than January 28, 2011.
    4. The Commission will determine the need for reply comments after 
review of the initial comments.
    5. John P. Klingenberg is appointed to serve as the Public 
Representative to represent the interests of the general public in this 
proceeding.
    6. The Secretary shall arrange for publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register.

    By the Commission.
Shoshana M. Grove,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-33170 Filed 1-3-11; 8:45 am]
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