[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 79 (Monday, April 26, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 20340-20341] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-10281] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTAL SERVICE Periodicals Rate Anomaly AGENCY: Postal Service. ACTION: Notice of procedure for periodicals rate anomaly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice will advise Periodicals mailers of Nonprofit and Classroom publications of a procedure that has been established by the Postal Service to track differences between [[Page 20341]] postage paid at Nonprofit and Classroom Periodicals rates on a mailing and postage that is calculated to be less at Regular Periodicals rates as a result of an anomaly in the rate structure. These procedures coincide with a request for a Recommended Decision, submitted by the Postal Service to the Postal Rate Commission, which will propose to amend the Domestic Mail Classification Schedule (DMCS) to allow Nonprofit and Classroom mailers to use Regular rates for issues for which the applicable postage would be lower under the Regular rate schedules. EFFECTIVE DATE: April, 9, 1999. ADDRESSES: Manager, Business Mail Acceptance, U.S.P.S. Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-6808. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerome M. Lease, (202) 268-5188. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The procedure to be followed is similar to the pending procedures that exist for mailings of publications at Regular Periodicals rates while an application for special Periodicals privileges is pending action by the Postal Service. See Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) E270.8.0-9.0. The new procedures will allow the mailer to submit postage and a properly completed PS Form 3541-N, Postage Statement--Periodicals Nonprofit Rates, for mailings at nonprofit Periodicals rates (or PS Form 3541-NC, Postage Statement--Periodicals Classroom Rates, for Classroom), while simultaneously submitting a completed PS Form 3541-R, Postage Statement--Periodicals Regular and Science of Agriculture Rates, (annotated with the words ``Pending Application'') for postage computed at regular rates on the same mailing, if it is determined to be less than nonprofit postage. At the time of mailing, postage will be paid as computed on the appropriate Nonprofit or Classroom mailing statement. If the proposed DMCS change is implemented, subsequent to a Recommended Decision by the Postal Rate Commission and a decision by the Governors, instructions will be issued to grant refunds to publishers for mailings for which an application and both relevant mailing statements were submitted at the time of mailing, and for which the Nonprofit or Classroom postage paid was higher than the otherwise applicable Regular postage. For these purposes, an application will consist of a written statement that the mailer is currently authorized to use either Classroom or Nonprofit Periodicals rates and wishes to retain that authorization, but also wishes to be considered under these procedures for a refund to be calculated with reference to the Regular and preferred rate mailing statements submitted with the application. Once such a DMCS change is implemented, Nonprofit and Classroom mailers will be able to pay postage initially at the Regular Periodicals rates, and this procedure for determining subsequent refunds will no longer be necessary. In general, all mailings of the same issue are expected to be uniformly entered, either with an application for a subsequent refund (i.e., so that the mailer ultimately may pay the Regular rate), or without an application for a subsequent refund (i.e., so that the mailer pays the Nonprofit or Classroom rates). Within any 10-day period, mailers are not allowed to split mailings of the same issue in order to obtain a rate advantage. During the time the procedures are in effect, it may be possible that a publisher will wish to present an application for a subsequent refund for a mailing (or mailings) which constitute the main run of an issue, but will not wish to submit a similar application for a later supplementary mailing of the same issue. This might occur if the Regular Periodicals rates were lower for the main run mailing(s), but the Nonprofit rates were lower for a supplementary mailing because, for example, the depth of sort was not comparable to the original mailing. The only circumstances under which this would be permissible would be if no mailing of copies of the same issue had been submitted with an application for refund on the date of mailing or in the previous 9 days. If mailers submit a mailing of copies of an issue without a refund application, and have on the same day or within the previous 9 days submitted a mailing of copies of the same issue with a refund application, the refund application will be denied. Stanley F. Mires, Chief Counsel, Legislative. [FR Doc. 99-10281 Filed 4-23-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710-12-P