Changes Associated With the Delivering for America Plan
The Commission is initiating a proceeding to examine the recent and planned network changes associated with the Postal Service's Delivering for America strategic plan. This noti...
The Commission is initiating a proceeding to examine the recent and planned network changes associated with the Postal Service's Delivering for America strategic plan. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps.
DATES:
None.
ADDRESSES:
Submit comments electronically via the Commission's Filing Online system at
http://www.prc.gov.
Those who cannot submit comments electronically should contact the person identified in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section by telephone for advice on filing alternatives.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at 202-789-6820.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Background
III. Public Inquiry
IV. Ordering Paragraphs
I. Introduction
The Commission establishes Docket No. PI2023-4 to examine the recent and planned network changes associated with the Postal Service's Delivering for America strategic plan.[1]
II. Background
On March 23, 2021, the Postal Service published a 10-Year Strategic Plan announcing potential changes intended to achieve financial stability and service excellence.
See
Postal Service Strategic Plan. The Plan contains 11 key strategies for achieving these goals and discusses, at a high level, various initiatives it intends to undertake in furtherance of each strategy.
Id.
at 5, 22-39. The Plan also states that the Postal Service will provide opportunities for stakeholder input and engagement, including by the Postal Service requesting advisory opinions from the Commission.[2]
Subsequently, the Postal Service filed three requests with the Commission for
( printed page 25438)
advisory opinions on proposed service standard changes related to the strategic plan that involved First-Class Mail, Periodicals, First-Class Package Service, Retail Ground, and Parcel Select Ground.[3]
After providing an opportunity for a formal on-the-record hearing, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3661(c), the Commission issued advisory opinions on the Postal Service's proposed service standard changes, analyzing the estimated impact of the proposals on the Postal Service's service performance, financial condition, operational flow, transportation network, customer satisfaction, and mail volume.[4]
Most recently, the Postal Service announced plans to create sorting and delivery centers (S&DCs).[5]
The purpose of the S&DCs is to “reduce transportation and mail handling costs” [6]
by aggregating delivery units into “larger Sort and Delivery Centers with adequate space, docks and material handling equipment to operate more efficiently.” [7]
The daily operating function of the S&DC will be essentially the same as a destination delivery unit (DDU), “except on a larger scale and with much greater efficiency, operational reliability and staffing flexibility.” [8]
The first S&DC opened in Athens, Georgia in November 2022.[9]
Likewise, the Postal Service anticipates transforming its network through standardized Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs) and Local Processing Centers (LPCs).
See
Postal Service DFA PSRA Responses at 9, 20.
The Commission discussed potential impacts to flats operations and costs due to the new S&DCs in its Flats Operations Study Report, largely based on information provided to stakeholders and Postal employees.[10]
However, the Commission notes that stakeholders have expressed concerns regarding a lack of a forum to explore the impacts of these proposed changes.[11]
The Commission previously found that an advisory opinion on the entirety of the Postal Service Strategic Plan was not warranted.[12]
The instant docket is not intended as an advisory opinion process on the Postal Service Strategic Plan. However, the Commission finds it beneficial to the interest of transparency to provide a forum to learn more about these strategic plan initiatives that may have a significant impact on the postal community. Accordingly, the Commission opens this Public Inquiry to provide a forum to seek additional information about the planned S&DCs, as well as other planned initiatives associated with the Postal Service Strategic Plan.
III. Public Inquiry
The Commission establishes this proceeding to provide a forum to garner information regarding proposed changes related to the Postal Service's Strategic Plan. The Commission anticipates that it will issue information requests to gather information about the proposed changes to the network and the impact of recent changes to the postal network. Interested parties also may propose questions by filing motions seeking information requests following the procedures listed at 39 CFR part 3010.170(e).
Materials filed in this proceeding will be available for review on the Commission's website, unless the information contained therein is subject to an application for non-public treatment. The Commission's rules on non-public materials (including access to documents filed under seal) appear in 39 CFR part 3011. Additional information may be accessed via the Commission's website at
http://www.prc.gov.
Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Kenneth R. Moeller will serve as an officer of the Commission (Public Representative) to represent the interests of the general public in this docket.
IV. Ordering Paragraphs
It is ordered:
1. The Commission establishes Docket No. PI2023-4 to review issues related to the Postal Service's Delivering for America Strategic Plan.
2. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Kenneth R. Moeller will serve as an officer of the Commission (Public Representative) to represent the interests of the general public in this docket.
3. The Secretary shall arrange for publication of this Notice in the
Federal Register
.
2.
Id.
at 26-27, 35, 41, 52.
See
United States Postal Service, Delivering for America, Responses of the United States Postal Service to the Reporting Requirements Specified in the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, FY 2022 3rd and 4th Quarter, December 2, 2022, at 23 n.4, available at
https://www.prc.gov/docs/124/124453/REDACTED_Final_DFA-PSRA_Section_207_Report_12.02.2022.pdf
(Postal Service DFA PSRA Responses).
3.
See
Docket No. N2021-1, United States Postal Service Request for an Advisory Opinion on Changes in the Nature of Postal Services, April 21, 2021; Docket No. N2021-2, United States Postal Service Request for an Advisory Opinion on Changes in the Nature of Postal Services, June 17, 2021; Docket No. N2022-1, United States Postal Service's Request for an Advisory Opinion on Changes in the Nature of Postal Services, March 21, 2022.
4.
Docket No. N2021-1, Advisory Opinion on Service Changes Associated with First-Class Mail and Periodicals, July 20, 2021, at 2; Docket No. N2021-2, Advisory Opinion on the Service Standard Changes Associated with First-Class Package Service, September 29, 2021, at 3; Docket No. N2022-1, Advisory Opinion on the Service Standard Changes Associated with Retail Ground and Parcel Select Ground, June 9, 2022, at 2.
Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.
88 FR 25437
Web Citation
Suggested Web Citation
Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.
“Changes Associated With the Delivering for America Plan,” thefederalregister.org (April 26, 2023), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2023-08762/changes-associated-with-the-delivering-for-america-plan.