A new administration and a new congress took office in 2017. Along with those changes, there was a brief hope for legislative reform when a joint bill was passed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. As the President and the Senate majority are from the same party, perhaps nominees to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors would be approved.
However, the legislation has since stalled and the Senate hasn’t scheduled any hearings on the nominees. Letter mail volumes – for both First Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail – have declined. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) announced their findings and proposed rulemaking after completing the mandatory 10-year review of the system for regulating postage rates for Market Dominant products – and the responses from industry and USPS leadership have been negative. Mergers and acquisitions of service providers continue at a brisk pace.
What will 2018 bring? More change, more mergers, and more news on the USPS. We plan on covering those, and other issues in the coming year. If there’s a particular topic you’d like to see covered, drop a line in the comments, or send me an email at mmf@berkshire-company.com..
In case you missed them, here are the 10 most read posts in 2017::
2018 Postage Rate Increase: The 50-Cent Stamp is Here! On Friday, October 6, 2017, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) filed the postage rate case for Market Dominant products with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). A quick breakdown.
New Congress, New President – Same Results? The Gloomy Outlook for Postal Reform The recent changes in Washington represent an opportunity on USPS issues and Board of Governor appointments. But don't expect anything to happen.
Identifying Opportunities for Improvement Whether you're overhauling an operation or introducing incremental improvements, managing the process is the key to success.
When Should I Consider Outsourcing? There are three important factors to consider are when evaluating a function as a candidate for outsourcing.
Postal Reform Act of 2017: Return to Sender H.R. 756 - The Postal Reform Act of 2017 is now out of committee. What does it mean for the USPS and for mailers?
20 Questions When Selecting a Print/Mail Service Provider In addition to pricing, there are 20 questions you should ask when selecting a print/mail service provider.
National Postal Forum 2017 Recap: Briefing from Baltimore This year saw one of the largest National Postal Forums (NPF) in a decade.
US Postal Service to Increase Costs of Non-Compliance The USPS seeks approval for changing how it verifies compliance with Move Update and to increase the assessment charges.
The Unstoppable Move to Less Paper, and the Upcoming Upheaval of the Mailing Industry Print and physical mail remain an important part of customer communications. However, current market capacity is greater than the market demand.
Twenty Questions To Ask When Purchasing Equipment In addition to legal questions and pricing information, here are 20 questions you should ask when purchasing equipment.
