83 FR 995 - Green & Secure Alternative Move Update Method Option

POSTAL SERVICE

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 6 (January 9, 2018)

The Postal Service is proposing to amend Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]), to introduce a new alternative method to meet the Move Update standard for mailers who enter eligible letter- and flat-size pieces of First- Class Mail[supreg] and USPS Marketing Mail[supreg] (formerly Standard Mail[supreg]) that meet the requirements for Basic or Full-Service mailings.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 995-997]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00006]


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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 6 / Tuesday, January 9, 2018 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 995]]



POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 111


Green & Secure Alternative Move Update Method Option

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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

SUMMARY: The Postal Service is proposing to amend Mailing Standards of 
the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]), 
to introduce a new alternative method to meet the Move Update standard 
for mailers who enter eligible letter- and flat-size pieces of First-
Class Mail[supreg] and USPS Marketing Mail[supreg] (formerly Standard 
Mail[supreg]) that meet the requirements for Basic or Full-Service 
mailings.

DATES: Submit comments on or before February 8, 2018.

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 ``Green & 
Secure.'' Faxed comments are not accepted. 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: Heather Dyer at (207) 482-7217, or 
Garry Rodriguez at (202) 268-7281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Pursuant to Postal Service regulations, compliance with the Move 
Update standard is a basic eligibility requirement for mailers of USPS 
Marketing Mail and First-Class Mail letters and flats using commercial 
automation and presort rates. The Move Update standard requires mailers 
to update addresses for which a change of address (COA) order exists 
within a specified period of time. By requiring mailers to comply with 
the Move Update standard, the Postal Service aims to improve address 
quality and ensure mailpieces reach their intended recipients, which 
benefits both the Postal Service and its customers. The Move Update 
standard also is intended to reduce mail processing and delivery costs 
for the Postal Service.
    Today, mailers can meet the Move Update standard using the USPS-
approved methods of Address Change Service (ACSTM), 
NCOALink[supreg], or Ancillary Service Endorsements. In addition, 
mailers of First-Class Mail may apply to use one of two alternative 
methods, 99 Percent Accuracy or Legal Restraint, which are available 
under the following limited circumstances:
    [ssquf] 99 Percent Accuracy Method: This method is available to 
mailers who enter First-Class Mail and demonstrate that their internal 
list management maintains address quality at 99 percent or greater 
accuracy for COAs.
    [ssquf] Legal Restraint Method: This method is available to mailers 
who enter First-Class Mail pieces and demonstrate that a legal 
restriction prevents them from updating their customer's address 
without direct contact from the customer.
    The overarching goal of the Move Update standard is to reduce the 
incidence of undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail, which is costly for 
the Postal Service because UAA pieces must be forwarded, returned, or 
discarded, and costly for mailers because these pieces fail to reach 
their intended recipients. The Postal Service incurs the most costs 
returning pieces, while discarding UAA pieces imposes the lowest cost. 
The 2016 per-piece cost for each disposition type (FCM only) is shown 
below:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Per-piece
            Disposition type                 Per-piece       cost--all
                                           cost--letters      shapes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return..................................          $0.394          $0.427
Forward.................................           0.193           0.198
Discard.................................           0.110           0.111
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    First-Class Mail UAA pieces represent most of the Postal Service's 
costly return-to-sender volume; a First-Class Mail mailpiece must be 
returned-to-sender if it is associated with a COA record that is more 
than 12 months old, or if it is otherwise identified as UAA as 
specified in DMM 507.1.5.1. In 2017, the Postal Service discarded only 
3 percent of First-Class Mail UAA pieces; in comparison, 98.5 percent 
of USPS Marketing Mail UAA pieces were discarded. The reason for this 
discrepancy is that UAA USPS Marketing Mail pieces are destroyed unless 
the mailers pays for forwarding or return after requesting those 
services using an ancillary service endorsement.

Future Process

    While the focus of the Postal Service's Move Update program has 
been to reduce the amount of UAA mail, the Postal Service recognizes 
that not all UAA mail can be eliminated. The Postal Service wants to 
reduce the cost to the Postal Service of the remaining UAA mail. The 
Postal Service therefore is proposing to introduce a new alternative 
method to meet the Move Update standard, Green & Secure, which would 
both reduce the volume of return-to-sender mail and reduce mailers' 
risk of assessment through the Address Quality Census Measurement and 
Assessment Process (AQCMAP), a new method of verifying that mailers 
have adopted a USPS-approved Move Update method which starts February 
1, 2018. An exemption from AQCMAP fees would provide a needed incentive 
for more mailers to mark their mail for destruction rather than return 
to the mailer.
    Green & Secure would be a USPS-approved Move Update alternative 
option for First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail letter and flat-
size pieces that meet the requirements for Basic and Full Service 
mailings. Under Green & Secure, mailers would need to (1) use either an 
ACS Change Service Requested Service Type ID (STID) or a Secure 
Destruction STID, the latter of which is limited to First-Class Mail 
only, and (2) would need to seek pre-approval from the Postal Service 
in certain circumstances.
    The ACS Change Service Requested STID would be available for use on 
First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail pieces. Full-Service mailers 
would not need pre-approval to use Green & Secure if using an ACS 
Change Service Requested STID on eligible mailpieces.

[[Page 996]]

Mailers that do not participate in Full-Service would need to apply for 
ACS notice fulfillment services with the Postal Service ACS Department 
at the National Customer Support Center in Memphis, Tennessee, (877-
640-0724 (Option 1) or [email protected]) in order to participate in Green & 
Secure using the ACS Change Service Requested STID. First-Class Mail 
and USPS Marketing Mail pieces that have an ACS Change Service 
Requested STID in the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) and are identified 
as UAA would be discarded and recycled rather than returned-to-sender.
    The Secure Destruction STID would continue to be available for use 
on First-Class Mail pieces only. First-Class Mail mailers already 
participating in Secure Destruction service and utilizing an approved 
Secure Destruction STID would continue to have their UAA mailpieces 
destroyed and recycled in a secure manner. Secure Destruction 
participation requires mailers to register their Mailer ID with the 
Postal Service's ACS Department prior to using the Secure Destruction 
STID in their IMbs. This pre-approval requirement applies to Full-
Service mailers. Under Secure Destruction, mailpieces are shredded by 
Postal Service employees at Postal Service facilities, which renders 
the pieces unreadable prior to recycling. Secure Destruction shreds 
mailpieces to a size that is more stringent than the standards set 
forth by the National Association for Information Destruction and 
common industry practice in the United States for documents with 
sensitive and/or confidential information.
    For each Green & Secure STID type, the Postal Service would provide 
mailers with an electronic ACS notification indicating that the piece 
is UAA. Green & Secure would continue the process of providing First-
Class Mail mailers that use the Secure Destruction STID with an 
additional electronic notification to indicate when and where the 
mailpiece was processed and securely shredded.
    Green & Secure would continue to provide mailers using either STID 
with two disposition options for their mailpieces:
     Option 1: Postal Service discards or securely destroys all 
UAA mailpieces.
     Option 2: Postal Service provides forwarding if the 
mailpiece corresponds with a valid COA record that is less than 1-year 
old. All other UAA mail is discarded or securely destroyed, subject to 
the corresponding conditions described in DMM Section 507.1.0.
    While there is no additional charge for forwarding of First-Class 
Mail, USPS Marketing Mail that is forwarded under Option 2 will be 
charged the appropriate per piece forwarding fee for the mail shape.

Address Quality Census Measurement and Assessment Process

    In August 2017, the Postal Service gained regulatory approval from 
the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for the Address Quality Census 
Measurement and Assessment Process in PRC Docket No. R2017-7 (available 
on-line at prc.gov). The Postal Service followed-up the PRC's approval 
with a final rule adopting conforming changes to the DMM that was 
published in the Federal Register on October 24, 2017 (82 FR 49123-
49128). The Postal Service plans to begin verifying and assessing 
mailers under this new verification method in March 2018 for COA errors 
incurred in February 2018. As proposed, mailpieces that use the Green & 
Secure alternative Move Update method would not be subject to 
verification and possible assessment under the Address Quality Census 
Measurement and Assessment Process. Move Update validations, however, 
would still be performed to provide visibility into mail quality, and 
the results of the validations would be reported in the Mailer 
Scorecard.

Mailer Scorecard

    The Mailer Scorecard is currently available to mailers, providing 
data that allow mailers to gauge address quality on their mailpieces. 
Under Green & Secure, the Mailer Scorecard would continue to be a 
valuable tool in assisting mailers to improve their address quality. 
The total number of mailpieces using the Green & Secure alternative 
method would be reported under the eDoc Submitter CRID through a 
dedicated field on the Mailer Scorecard. In addition, if a mailpiece is 
associated with a COA that is between 95 and 18 months old, and the 
address has not been updated, a COA warning for the associated IMb 
would be logged and allocated under the CRID of the eDoc submitter in 
the Mailer Scorecard.

Criteria

    Mailers would be able to use the Green & Secure Alternative Move 
Update Method when they:
    [ssquf] Use a unique Basic or Full Service IMb on mailings of 
letter- and flat-size pieces for First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing 
Mail;
    [ssquf] Use eDoc to submit mailing information and include piece 
level detail (by piece or piece range);
    [ssquf] Contact the Postal Service ACS Department, for non-Full-
Service mailers who wish to use a Basic ACS Change Service Requested 
STID, and all mailers seeking to use the Secure Destruction STID.

Specification

    The Postal Service is proposing the specifications for meeting the 
Move Update requirements through an alternative method. Once the Postal 
Service implements the proposed process, mailers may meet the Move 
Update standard using Green & Secure as follows:
    [ssquf] Mailers would utilize an ACS Change Service Requested STID 
on First-Class Mail or USPS Marketing Mail, or a Secure Destruction 
STID on First-Class Mail.
    [ssquf] Mailpieces bearing these STID types would be verified 
separately from the Address Quality Census Measurement and Assessment 
Process and would not be subject to Move Update assessment charges.
    [ssquf] Mailpieces bearing these STIDs that are UAA would be 
discarded or securely destroyed by the Postal Service; electronic 
notification and information via the Mailer Scorecard would be 
provided.

Mailpiece Results

    Once qualifying mailings are processed on mail processing 
equipment, the data from mailpieces would be reconciled with eDoc. 
These results would be available on the Business Customer Gateway, and 
displayed on the Electronic Verification tab of the Mailer Scorecard, 
which would be easily accessible at https://gateway.usps.com/eAdmin/view/signin. Mailers would be able to review the Mailer Scorecard and 
corresponding detailed reports to identify any anomalies or issues.
    To resolve Mailer Scorecard irregularities, mailers would continue 
to be able to contact the PostalOne! Help Desk at 800-522-9085 or their 
local Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU).

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111

    Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.

    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 
comments 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. Accordingly, 39 CFR part 111 is proposed to be amended as 
follows:

[[Page 997]]

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, 403, 404, 414, 416, 3001-3011, 3201-3219, 
3403-3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3632, 3633, and 5001.

0
2. Revise the following sections of 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)

* * * * *

602 Addressing

* * * * *

5.0 Move Update Standards

* * * * *
    [Revise the heading and text of 5.2 to read as follows:]

5.2 Authorized Methods

    Mailer Move Update Process Certification and USPS-approved 
alternative methods are authorized for meeting the Move Update 
standard. The National Customer Support Center administers and approves 
both Mailer Move Update Process Certification and alternative methods.

5.2.1 Mailer Move Update Process Certification

    Mailer Move Update Process Certification methods are as follows:
    a. Address Change Service (ACS).
    b. National Change of Address Linkage System (NCOALink). This 
includes both pre-mail NCOALink processing systems and the physical 
mailpiece processing equipment system: National Change of Address 
Linkage System Mail Processing Equipment (NCOALink MPE). See the 
NCOALink page (NCOALink MPE Solutions) on www.postalpro.usps.com for 
more information on the MPE application.
    c. Applicable ancillary service endorsements under 507.1.5.1 or 
507.1.5.3, except ``Forwarding Service Requested.''

5.2.2 Alternate Methods

    Alternate Move Update methods are as follows:
    a. Green & Secure: Mailpieces using the Green & Secure alternative 
method will be excluded from the Address Quality Census Measurement and 
Assessment Process under 5.3. Details are available in Publication 685, 
Publication for Streamlined Mail Acceptance for Letters and Flats, 
available at www.postalpro.usps.com.
    b. For First-Class Mail only: Mailer Move Update Process 
Certification and USPS-approved alternative methods for mailers with 
legitimate restrictions on incorporating USPS-supplied change-of-
address information into their mailing lists. Refer to the Guide to 
Move Update available at www.postalpro.usps.com or contact the National 
Customer Support Center (see 608.8.1 for address) for additional 
information.
* * * * *
    We will publish an appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to 
reflect these changes, if this proposal is adopted.

Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2018-00006 Filed 1-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7710-12-P