As the situation in Egypt continues to evolve, our acceptance policy for mail destined to that country also is evolving. Effective immediately, all Post Office™ and other mail acceptance locations cannot accept any mail addressed to recipients in Egypt.

This temporary suspension affects Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG®), Express Mail International®, Priority Mail International®, First-Class Mail International®, International Priority Airmail™ (IPA®), International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®), and M-Bag items.

Mail addressed to Egypt that has already been accepted by the Postal Service will be returned to sender. Upon request, the Postal Service will refund postage and fees on items returned due to the temporary suspension of service

We will use the DMM Advisory to keep you informed of any further developments affecting mail delivery to Egypt. To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

Recognizing ongoing concerns about mailers’ readiness for broader adoption of the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb®), the USPS® has decided that automation discounts for mail with POSTNET barcodes will continue to be offered beyond May 2011.

Today’s announcement, made following consultation with key industry leaders, means that mailers also may continue to use the POSTNET barcode for reply mail (such as Business Reply Mail (BRM), QBRM and Permit Reply Mail) and PLANET Code® for Confirm® Service.

The relaxing of requirements beyond the planned May POSTNET retirement timeframe allows for an easier transition to the full use of the IMb while continuing to receive automation discounts.

The value of the IMb is a proven technological advantage with more than 41 billion pieces of IMb-enabled mail processed by the USPS. As more Industry leaders continue to embrace the IMb, the Postal Service is committed to enhancing the benefits of Intelligent Mail Services.

DMM Advisory

Pricing — keeping you informed about the prices and mailing standards of the United States Postal Service

Upcoming DMM Change: Attachments on Letter-size Mail

An upcoming change in the December 6 update of the Domestic Mail Manual will allow attachments on letter-size mail when postage is paid at automation letter prices. The revision, which will be published shortly, provides the physical characteristics and preparation methods for perforated pockets with edges that are permanently affixed to a letter-size mailpiece. In short, a pocket is formed within a two-ply unit and sales offers, coupons, and similar printed advertising may be placed within or underneath the pocket. The perforated panel must be lifted to reveal the material inside.

Perforated pockets may be applied to Standard Mail and Periodicals letter-sized mail and cannot contain personal information. Note that perforated pockets are not considered sealed against postal inspection.

We will keep everyone posted through the DMM Advisory of upcoming mailing standards changes.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) is available on Postal Explorer® (pe.usps.com). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

DMM Advisory

Pricing — keeping you informed about the prices and mailing standards of the United States Postal Service

IMb™ Services Update

New FAST Help Desk (August 30, 2010): As announced in the Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST®) 14.3.0 Release Notes (August 15, 2010), the Postal Service™ will launch the new FAST Help Desk effective Monday, August 30. The FAST Help Desk will be available to assist with application and operation-related issues by:

• Email at FAST@usps.gov.
• Telephone at 877-569-6614. The FAST Help Desk telephone number efficiently directs calls through a new IVR network to ensure prompt routing of customer inquiries.

The FAST Help Desk hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT. Telephone support will be available outside of these hours including weekends and holidays.

If the Help Desk is unable to provide an immediate resolution, a Remedy Ticket will be activated and escalated to the appropriate postal functional entity. All FAST Remedy Tickets will follow the established Issue Resolution Process.

The FAST Welcome pages have been updated to reflect the new FAST Help Desk contact information.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) is available on Postal Explorer (pe.usps.com). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

In today’s Federal Register we update our proposed mailing standards to support our current pricing proposal. We respond to your comments on our initial proposal, summarize major changes by class of mail and extra service, and update our summary of the mailing standards.

Highlights of Revised Mailing Standards

Relaxed Standards for Automation Flats

§          Relaxed Flexibility Test – now administered by pressing 1 inch from the edge of the piece instead of 1 inch from the edge of the table. This new test is more forgiving of flats with rigid inserts. Typical bound publications and catalogs do not need to be tested when they are not in a box and do not contain rigid inserts.

§          Relaxed/Clarified Definition of Uniform Thickness – now allow a variation of up to 1/4 inch in thickness, not counting selvage.

§          Relaxed Deflection Test – now allow pieces to droop to within 1 inch of length, up to a maximum of 4 inches, instead of 4 inches for pieces over 10 inches long and 2 inches for pieces less than 10 inches long.

Relaxed Standards and New Payment Option for Periodicals Container Charge

§          Proposed to waive the container charge for direct carrier route, 5-digit carrier routes, and 5-digit containers of mixed Outside-County and In-County pieces.

§          Proposed a new option to pay the container charge by prorating it across multiple titles in a combined mailing if documentation is submitted through Mail.dat.

Relaxed Standards and Easier Preparation for Letters

§          Allowed mailers to apply the no–overflow tray option selectively at the 3-digit and AADC tray levels.

§          Extended the “no bundling” standards to all automated carrier route letters, not just the letters we DPS.

Retained Terminology and Easier Preparation for Parcels and Not Flat-Machinable (NFM) Pieces

§          Retained the “irregular” parcel terminology instead of changing it to “nonmachinable.”

§          Made 5-digit presorting optional for all Standard Mail parcels and NFMs.

Today’s notice provides you with a second opportunity to comment on and make suggestions about our proposed mailing standards. We invite your comments on all aspects of our second proposal. Send written comments on or before January 31 to the Manager of Mailing Standards, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW Rm 3436, Washington DC 20260-3436.

In February we will publish an additional Federal Register notice incorporating comments from this proposal to ensure mailers have adequate time to prepare for the new standards and prices. The updated notice will provide a comprehensive view of our proposal at least a month before the Postal Service Governors vote on the new prices and an early opportunity to update software and other systems.

Timeline – Domestic and International Proposals