2018 Chief FOIA Officer Report for the Postal Regulatory Commission

Ruth Ann Abrams, Chief FOIA Officer

The Commission operates by the principles of openness, integrity, merit, and adaptability as

outlined in our Strategic Plan. In line with these principles, the Commission is committed to

transparency, accountability, and open government in its Freedom of Information Act

responsibilities.  

The Commission prides itself on the high priority given to responding completely and properly to

all requests, and how fully, professionally, and quickly we respond. During FY 2017, the

Commission received 38 FOIA requests, and provided responses to all simple requests within the

statutory deadline of 20 business days. Our FOIA team is committed to the “spirit of

cooperation”, and works to ensure there is good communication and good customer service

when working with our requesters. The Commission has a dedicated e‐mail inbox solely for FOIA

requests. This inbox is monitored on a daily basis by the Commission’s FOIA team. Throughout

FY 2017, the Commission continued to make adjustments to our public website to make it easier

to find and access Commission information and records.  

Once a FOIA request is received, it is assigned a distinct tracking number. The Commission

updates and posts the FOIA tracking log on our website to allow requesters clear visibility on the

receipt of their request. The tracking log details the date the request is received along with an

anticipated response date of no later than 20 working days. During FY 2017, additional columns

were added to the tracking log to detail our anticipated response date versus our actual response

date. If the Commission has any questions or needs further clarification about the request, a

member of our FOIA team immediately reaches out to the FOIA requester. The Commission also

notifies the requester of any search or copy charges that apply and offers the requester the

option to receive the response electronically or via hard copy. Once the response is sent out, the

Commission’s tracking log is updated to reflect the action taken, the date the response was sent

out, and how many days it took for the Commission to respond.

To ensure smooth operation and timely processing our FOIA team meets weekly to assess

workload and response time, and to discuss any issuesthat may be pending. During these weekly

assessments, process improvements are discussed to keep response times within the statutory

time limits for all requests. Effective communication among departments at the Commission and

timely response by Commission employees to requests for records ensure that the Commission

responds to all requests in an efficient and effective manner.

The entire Commission works to identify proactive disclosures and any identified records are

reviewed for approval by the General Counsel and the Chief FOIA Officer. Once approved, the

records are then posted or released as appropriate. The contents of all dockets, apart from

certain items designated as nonpublic by submitters, are available for inspection on the

Commission's website. The majority of all records at the Commission are dockets. The nonpublic

records are clearly identified on the public website and are usually posted in redacted form. The

United States Postal Service (USPS) and other filers must provide specific justification for

nonpublic treatment of the items to be so designated. Any person may petition the Commission
for access to specified nonpublic records, or else may petition to have the access restrictions

lifted entirely.

To further promote transparency in publicly accessible records, the Commission publishes

detailed monthly updates to the Consumer Price Index calculations relating to the price cap on

Market Dominant postal products. This is a valuable resource for the mailing industry and the

public. In addition, the Commission publishes a frequently updated summary of Negotiated

Service Agreements (contracts between the USPS and private companies for special mailing

agreements) and the Mail Classification Schedule. The Commission also regularly posts budgetary

and administrative information, such as the annual Congressional Budget Justifications.  

In line with the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, the Commission conducted a review and revision

of its FOIA regulations and issued an order on the rule‐making docket, RM2017‐2, on December

19, 2016. The Commission implemented the “Rule of 3” for frequently requested records(i.e. the

Commission makes available to the public, in electronic format, records that have been

requested three or more times.); updated our reply language to FOIA requests advising

requesters that dispute resolution is available through OGIS; and clarified in our response

language that administrative appeal is available even when the adverse determination is not a

denial.

The Commission is committed to making its records and communications channels more

electronically accessible. A webform for members of the public to submit comments is featured

on the Commission’s website. In response to requestsfrom the public, the Commission improved

the search function for its website, with an updated search engine that supplements the more

complex search system used by frequent users of the site with more user friendly options for the

general public. The Commission requires that all correspondence and legal documents filed with

the Commission be processed with Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and thus are both

electronically keyword searchable and compliant with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The Commission holds periodic public meetings and technical conferences. The meetings are

publicly webcast and the recordings of these meetings are archived on the Commission's public

website. In an effort to promote the commitment to openness and transparency for all public

materials released by the Commission, technical conferences are now both audio and video

webcast and archived on the website.  

The Commission is proud of its open approach to the valuable records related to its mission in

service to the American people. The FOIA team works hard to ensure that the Commission has a

model FOIA program reflective of the fundamental commitment of open government.