Public Comment: Send a message to the Postal Regulatory Commission: Stop the Mail Slowdown!
Submit your public comment via the Federal Register, or email your public comment to PCFederalRegister@usps.gov
We’re amplifying the call from Save the Post Office to submit public comments to the Postal Regulatory Commission on proposed regulation.
After a year when unprecedented mail delays outraged the country, Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10 year plan is now trying to permanently slow down the delivery of our mail. USPS leadership has announced slowdowns to their “service standards,” which are the on-time delivery targets for different kinds of mail. Today, First Class Mail is supposed to be delivered within 1-3 days, depending on the delivery distance. Under the new proposed rules, this delivery time could be as long as 5 days for both first class and periodicals delivery. Before these changes become permanent, USPS must first engage in two public reviews: a Federal Register rule-making process and an advisory opinion by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).
Deadline: May 28, 2021: Submit your public comment via the Federal Register, or email your public comment to PCFederalRegister@usps.gov
If you email your comment directly to the Federal Register or submit your comment by May 28, it will also be included in the PRC submissions. If you submit after May 28, but before the June 22 Federal Register deadline, your voice will still be heard! It won’t be submitted to the PRC, only USPS, but it’s still very much worth doing!
How to File a Comment
Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: PCFederalRegister@usps.gov with a subject line of "Service Standards for Market-Dominant Mail Products” or via the Federal Register website.
Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Product iClassification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-3436.
Faxed comments are not accepted.
All submitted comments and attachments are part of the public record and subject to disclosure. Do not enclose any material in your comments that you consider to be confidential or inappropriate for public consumption.
Example Content
(Note: below are talking points you can use to craft your own statement. Public comment works best when every comment is unique, well-researched and personally relevant.)
Like so many people I know, I depend on reliable and affordable postal services in many areas of my life.
Whether it’s paying bills and receiving checks, ordering medicine or gifts, or sending a message to a loved one, the Postal Service is critical to keeping us all connected.
I am opposed to the proposed service standard changes which would permanently slow down the delivery of much of our mail. The Postal Service’s focus should be on improving on the delays that plagued the service in the past year, not making those delays permanent.
The Postal Service plays an important role in the life of the country. It’s no wonder that postal workers and the Postal Service are consistently ranked among the most trusted and reliable institutions in the country.
Let’s keep it that way, and keep the mail arriving reliably and quickly for years to come. We need it to.
Tips for Personalizing:
When you make your submission, think about the community you live in. What groups are you a part of that rely on the mail? Is your community particularly underserved by local stores and other services?
Do you rely on the Postal Service for medications? Do you run a business that needs prompt delivery by the Postal Service to survive and prosper? How would it impact you if you had to wait longer?
USPS managers admitted that they hadn’t looked into the impact of these changes on racial equity, rural versus urban populations, low income communities, veterans or elderly communities. Do you have insight into how slowing the mail will affect them?
Finally, the USPS is also seeking approval to raise prices for postal customers and has not looked at the combined effect of raising prices and slowing delivery. Whether you have a business, provide services through the mail or are an individual postal customer, what do you think about the prospect of paying more money for slower service?
Background
After a year when unprecedented mail delays outraged the country, Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is now trying to permanently slow down the delivery of our mail. USPS has announced slowdowns to their “service standards”, which are the on-time delivery targets for different kinds of mail.
Today, First Class Mail is supposed to be delivered within 1-3 days, depending on the delivery distance. Under the new proposed rules, this delivery time could be as long as 5 days for both first class and periodicals delivery.
Before these changes become permanent, USPS must first engage in two public reviews: a Federal Register rule-making process and an advisory opinion by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Your comment will be emailed directly to the Federal Register, and if submitted by May 28, will also be included in the PRC submissions.
Your submission will have more impact if you briefly tell your story of why prompt delivery by the Postal Service is important to you and your community.
References:
USPS chief DeJoy cuts post office hours, lengthens delivery times in new 10-year plan
Rachel Maddow: Postal Workers Rally Support To Block DeJoy's Plan To Weaken USPS