PRC To Hold Public Hearing On Universal Service And Postal Monopoly

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 The Postal Regulatory Commission issued the following press release:

The Postal Regulatory Commission will hold its final public hearing on Thursday, July 10, 2008, at 10 a.m., to solicit views relating to the universal service obligation of the U.S. Postal Service and the postal monopoly. The hearing will be in the Commission’s Hearing Room, 901 New York Avenue, Northwest, Washington, DC, and will be webcast via a link to the streaming audio at www.prc.gov.

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) requires the Commission to report to the President and Congress by December 19, 2008, on universal postal service and the postal monopoly in the United States, including the monopoly on mail delivery and access to mailboxes. In addition to consulting with the Postal Service and other federal agencies, the Commission is directed to hear from commercial mailers, postal service competitors, and the general public. Congress mandates that the report focus on: geographic scope; product offerings; access to facilities and services; the frequency of delivery, rates and affordability, and quality of services.

This hearing will augment the public hearings held outside of Washington, DC. Hearings have been held in Flagstaff, Arizona, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portsmouth, NH, on May 21, June 5, and June 19, 2008, respectively. In addition, the Commission held a public workshop on June 12, 2008, in the Commission’s hearing room.

All hearing testimony, hearing transcriptions, and replies to the Commission’s notice for public comment will be available on the Commission’s website at www.prc.gov, under Docket No. PI2008-3.

The following witnesses are scheduled to testify:

Panel 1: William H. Young, President, National Association of Letter Carriers; William Burrus, President, American Postal Workers Union; Don Cantriel, Vice President, National Association of Rural Letter Carriers; Dale Goff, President, National Association of Postmasters of the U.S.; Charles Mapa, President, National League of Postmasters; and Ted Keating, President, National Association of Postal Supervisors.

Panel 2: Rick Geddes, Associate Professor, Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University; Murray Comarow, Bethesda, Maryland; and Linda Sherry, Director for National Priorities, Consumer Action.

Panel 3: James Martin, President, 60 Plus Association and Robert Corn-Revere, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.