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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 221 (Friday, November 15, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 90241-90249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26434]

========================================================================
Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 90241]]

POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 121

Service Standards for Market-Dominant Mail Products

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Postal Service seeks public comment on 
proposed revisions to the service standards for certain market-dominant 
mail products. The Postal Service proposes to restructure the service 
standards, such that service standards for domestic First-Class Mail 
would retain the current day range of 1-5 days (as well as the current 
0-1 days for USPS Connect[supreg] Local), while being calculated, with 
certain exceptions, as the sum of delivery days accruing across three 
successive operational legs reflecting end-to-end service from an 
originating 5-digit ZIP Code to a destinating 5-digit ZIP Code. The 
proposed rule would also partially adjust the service standards for 
end-to-end Periodicals, USPS Marketing Mail, and Package Services so 
that they would all be primarily based on the standards for First-Class 
Mail, consistent with the Postal Service's implementation of a more 
integrated network, thus continuing our efforts to eliminate our legacy 
network that, due to its poor design, has multiple, redundant network 
flows. In particular, the proposed service standards align with 
operational initiatives that the Postal Service plans to implement on a 
nationwide basis to fundamentally transform our processing and 
transportation networks to achieve greater operational precision and 
efficiency, significantly reduce costs, and enhance service pursuant to 
the Delivering for America strategic plan (``Plan''). The Postal 
Service is required by law to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient 
universal postal services in a financially self-sufficient manner, 
through an integrated network for the delivery of mail and packages at 
least six days a week. However, the Postal Service currently is not 
achieving the requirements of the statute, as we lack a network that 
enables the integrated movement of mail and packages in a precise, 
efficient, and cost-effective manner. The Postal Service network has 
not been appropriately adjusted to account for volume and mail mix 
changes, including the substantial decline in Single-Piece First-Class 
Mail and increase in package volume, leading to significant 
inefficiencies. These initiatives will comprehensively transform these 
operations to fix the problems that exist today and create a network 
that enables the integrated movement of mail and packages in a precise 
and cost-effective manner far into the future. These initiatives would 
lead to a net positive impact for First-Class Mail from a service 
standard perspective, and generally faster service for end-to-end USPS 
Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services. They will also lead 
to substantial cost savings (estimated at between $3.6 to $3.7 billion 
annually), which is critical given the Postal Service's current poor 
financial condition, which can be addressed only through comprehensive 
changes to reduce costs and increase efficiency (in conjunction with 
the other elements of the Plan). Further details of the proposed 
changes appear below.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 31, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the Director, Product 
Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, 
Washington, DC 20260-3436. Email comments, containing the name and 
address of the commenter, may be sent to: [email protected], 
with a subject line of ``Service Standards for Market-Dominant Mail 
Products.'' 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 disclosure. You may inspect 
and photocopy all written comments, by appointment only, at 
USPS[supreg] Headquarters Library, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 11th Floor 
North, Washington, DC 20260. These records are available for review 
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. by calling 202-268-2906.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Johnson, Senior Public 
Relations Representative, at [email protected] or (202) 268-
2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The Postal Service proposes to amend 39 CFR part 121 to revise the 
current service standards for certain market-dominant products. These 
revisions achieve the objectives set forth in 39 U.S.C. 3691(b), taking 
into account the factors of 39 U.S.C. 3691(c). Overall, they further 
the Postal Service's obligations under 39 U.S.C. 101 and other 
provisions of Title 39 of the U.S. Code to provide universal postal 
services in a prompt, reliable, and efficient manner. The Postal 
Service is required by law to provide universal postal services in a 
financially self-sufficient manner, through an integrated network for 
the delivery of mail and packages at least six days a week. The Postal 
Service currently is not financially self-sufficient, and also lacks a 
network that is conducive to the logical, efficient, cost-effective, 
and reliable movement of mail and packages in an integrated manner from 
origin to destination in the modern postal environment, taking into 
account the current and projected volume and product mix. By 
implementing these operational initiatives and the proposed standards 
with which they are aligned, the Postal Service would be able to better 
balance and achieve these statutory policies and achieve the goals of 
the Plan to create a high-performing, financially sustainable 
organization.
    The current standards for First-Class Mail lead to high costs and 
inefficiencies in the transportation and processing network, and are 
not conducive to providing reliable and consistent service. The Postal 
Service is adjusting the service standards to improve our capability to 
deliver mail reliably and predictably for Postal Service customers, 
while enhancing the ability to increase operational efficiency and 
effectiveness consistent with best business practices. These standards 
would allow the Postal Service to better meet customer needs for prompt 
and reliable service, while supporting the maintenance of reasonable 
postage rates.
    Before describing how service standards would be revised, it is 
important to understand how service

[[Page 90242]]

standards are structured in Postal Service regulations. Service 
standards contain two components: (1) a delivery day range within which 
mail in a given product is expected to be delivered; and (2) business 
rules that determine, within a product's applicable day range, the 
specific number of delivery days after acceptance of a mail piece by 
which a customer can expect that piece to be delivered, based on the 
ZIP Code prefixes associated with the piece's point of entry into the 
mail stream and its delivery address. As noted above, the Postal 
Service proposes to restructure the service standards for domestic 
First-Class Mail, with certain exceptions, as the sum of delivery days 
accruing across three successive operational legs reflecting end-to-end 
service from an originating 5-digit ZIP Code to a destinating 5-digit 
ZIP Code. Leg 1 begins with collection and ends with acceptance at the 
applicable originating processing facility. Leg 2 begins with 
acceptance at the originating processing facility and ends with 
acceptance at the applicable destinating processing facility. Leg 3 
begins with acceptance at the destinating processing facility and ends 
with delivery.
    With respect to Leg 1, the Postal Service intends to redesign 
regional transportation (routes between processing facilities, Post 
Offices, and delivery units) through the Regional Transportation 
Optimization (RTO) initiative to address the significant inefficiencies 
that exist in local and regional transportation networks and to ensure 
service reliability and cost efficiency. With respect to Leg 2, the 
Postal Service intends to systematically redesign and invest in our 
outmoded processing facilities to create a network of Regional 
Processing and Distribution Centers or Campuses (RPDCs) and Local 
Processing Centers (LPCs), which deploy standardized and logically 
sequenced operating plans and schedules for the movement of mail and 
packages, more sortation equipment, optimized transportation routes, 
and improved operating tactics to increase throughput, gain 
productivity, and increase asset utilization across the country.
    The Postal Service is proposing to revise service standards for 
end-to-end market-dominant products to align with our operational 
initiatives; these standards would be more operationally precise and 
specific for customers, enable the Postal Service to maintain or 
upgrade service standards for a majority of volume, and enhance the 
ability to reliably achieve standards. In particular, the Postal 
Service plans to reimagine how service standards are established by 
breaking that service into segments so that customers have clear, 
understandable, and logical information about the service provided to 
them from a 5-digit to 5-digit ZIP Code perspective.
    For First-Class Mail, the existing day ranges would be preserved, 
meaning all mail would continue to be delivered within the existing day 
range of 1-5 days (as well as the current range of 0-1 days for USPS 
Connect[supreg] Local). For some end-to-end products within the 
contiguous 48 states (Periodicals, USPS Marketing Mail, and Package 
Services), the maximums for those day ranges would be shortened. 
(Unless specified otherwise, references in this document to the 
``contiguous states'' or the ``contiguous 48 states'' include the 
District of Columbia.) No destination entry product standards would be 
changed, except to reflect the new RPDC/LPC network. Overall, most mail 
and packages in the contiguous 48 states would either receive the same 
service standard or an accelerated standard so that they are delivered 
faster than today, while some mail and packages under the new standards 
would have a service expectation that is longer than the current 
expectation but still within the current day-ranges.
    Specifically, current First-Class Mail standards are predicated 
solely on plant-to-plant (3-digit ZIP Code to 3-digit ZIP Code) driving 
distances. The proposed rule would transition to 5-digit to 5-digit ZIP 
Code service standards that maintain the existing delivery day ranges 
while, for inter-RPDC volume, accurately and logically reflecting the 
three operational legs applicable to the movement of mail and packages: 
collection to origin processing facility (Leg 1), origin processing 
facility to destination processing facility (Leg 2), and destination 
processing facility to delivery (Leg 3). Distinct rules would apply to 
intra-RPDC volume (that is, First-Class Mail volume that originates and 
destinates in the same RDPC region), as well as certain intra-LPC 
volume.
    Because the current standards are predicated on plant-to-plant 
driving distances, they do not consider the regional and local 
transportation operations necessary to transport mail and packages from 
where they are collected to the processing network: that is, within a 
particular 3-digit ZIP Code, a mailpiece that originates at a Post 
Office that is 300 miles from the processing facility in which the 
mailpiece is dispatched to the network has the same standard as a 
mailpiece that originates 20 miles from that processing facility (if 
they are going to the same destination 3-digit ZIP Code). To meet the 
constraints imposed by this current approach to service standards, the 
Postal Service must structure our transportation network to ensure that 
all originating mail gets to the processing network on the day it is 
collected from customers, no matter how far away from the processing 
network it is entered. This leads to significant inefficiencies in our 
regional transportation practices, because the Postal Service must 
conduct separate trips to drop-off destinating volume from the 
processing network to collection/delivery facilities in the morning (AM 
drop-off) and pick-up originating volume from the collection/delivery 
facilities to the processing network in the afternoon (PM collections), 
or alternatively pay Highway Contract Route (HCR) contractors to 
layover for multiple hours between the AM and PM legs of their routes.
    While this practice of separating drop-off and pick-up activities 
may have made sense in a different era where the volume of single-piece 
letter mail was much greater, it engenders costs and inefficiencies 
impossible to justify in today's environment. Overall, the current 
practice results in inefficient transportation--characterized by 
excessive trips, poor utilization of truck capacity, and excess carbon 
emissions. In addition, the current practice reduces the efficiency and 
reliability of our Leg 2 operations (processing and network 
transportation), because the need to wait for the volume from outlying 
collection/delivery facilities to arrive at the processing plant on the 
PM transportation creates a volume arrival profile which reduces 
efficiencies, requires the scheduled dispatch to the network to be 
later, and increases the likelihood either for the scheduled dispatch 
to leave late in order to wait for all of the mail and packages to 
arrive at the plant and be processed, or for mail and packages to not 
make the scheduled dispatch at all because it does not make it to the 
plant on time to be processed on that day given the compressed 
processing window. This impacts not only the efficiency and velocity of 
originating operations, but can also have substantial negative 
downstream effects that reduce our service performance for all volume.
    With respect to Leg 1, the Postal Service proposes the nationwide 
implementation of RTO, for mail originating in the contiguous states, 
to correct for these inefficiencies. Pursuant to RTO, the Postal 
Service will have the ability to structure transportation routes that 
go to facilities that are farther from the processing network so that 
trucks would pick up originating volume on

[[Page 90243]]

the same routes that are also used to drop off destinating volume. The 
RTO initiative rationalizes the regional transportation network by 
eliminating routes and increasing truck utilization and thereby reduces 
transportation costs and the amount of carbon emissions. It also 
improves the efficiency and velocity of the processing network by 
producing volume arrival profiles that are spread more evenly 
throughout the day, enabling a more effective use of network resources 
and allowing the Postal Service to dispatch volume that is entered 
closer to processing plants (which is a majority of volume) earlier 
than is the case today. The Postal Service will designate 5-digit ZIP 
Codes for RTO when a retail/collection facility within that 5-digit ZIP 
Code is more than 50 miles from the RPDC campus. Exceptions to this 50-
mile rule may be implemented under certain circumstances based on 
operational or business considerations.
    The proposed standards will more logically and accurately reflect 
our operations within Leg 1 and enable the implementation of the RTO 
initiative, thereby giving the Postal Service the ability to optimize 
our regional and local transportation. Specifically, and as part of the 
proposed shift from the 3-digit to 3-digit ZIP Code standards to a more 
refined service calculation based on 5-digit ZIP Codes, the service 
standards will explicitly accommodate the fact that mail and packages 
entered the prior day would under RTO be picked up on the next day's 
transportation route for certain ZIP Codes. Mailpieces entered in ZIP 
Codes subject to RTO would therefore have one day assigned for Leg 1 in 
the service standards; zero days will apply in Leg 1 to pieces 
originating in other 5-digit ZIP Codes not subject to RTO. Implementing 
this change is the only way to correct for the significant deficiencies 
of the current network, while also ensuring that the standards set 
forth achievable, reliable, and understandable service expectations for 
customers.
    With respect to Leg 2, the proposed standards reflect the increased 
efficiency, velocity, and reach of our processing and network 
transportation due to the operational benefits of the RPDC/LPC redesign 
and RTO. As noted above, the network of RPDCs and LPCs will deploy 
standardized and logically sequenced operating plans and schedules, 
more sortation equipment, optimized transportation routes, and improved 
operating tactics to increase throughput, gain productivity, and 
increase asset utilization across the country. In addition, RTO enables 
more efficient and accelerated originating processing operations, 
therefore allowing volumes to enter the network earlier. As a result of 
these benefits, the Postal Service is proposing to expand by four hours 
each of the existing service standard bands within Leg 2 for First-
Class Mail so that such mail can travel farther to plants that are a 
greater distance from the originating plant within the Leg 2 bands.
    Finally, while the Postal Service is recognizing Leg 3 in our 
First-Class Mail standards, no additional days are being added for this 
leg, which is the same as the current standards.
    These proposed adjustments to the service standards would lead to a 
net positive impact for First-Class Mail from a service standard 
perspective, and generally faster service for end-to-end USPS Marketing 
Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services. The proposed service standards 
reflect the fact that the operational changes will enable volume to be 
accelerated through Leg 2, due to the benefits of the new network 
design and RTO; as a result, the Leg 2 bands for First-Class Mail will 
be expanded by four hours compared to the current standards. All volume 
would benefit from greater service reliability. Some mail and packages 
(constituting a minority of volume) in the contiguous states would 
experience a service standard that is longer than the current service 
standard (although still within the current day ranges), primarily 
because the Postal Service would assign one day within Leg 1 for all 
volume originating in a 5-digit ZIP Code that is subject to the RTO, as 
described below. In addition, as a result of the overall changes, a 
small volume of mail and packages to and/or from locations outside the 
contiguous states would experience a service standard that is longer 
than the current service standards, while other volume outside the 
contiguous states would experience a service standard that is shorter 
than the current service standards. The relative upgrades and 
downgrades demonstrate the Postal Service's efforts to maintain high 
quality service and mitigate any customer impacts to the extent 
possible, while also implementing operational changes necessary to 
achieve the critical--and significant--cost savings that are necessary 
for financial sustainability.
    The proposed service standards are a critical aspect of the Plan's 
overall goals to create a financially sustainable and reliable Postal 
Service capable of achieving our universal service mission for all 
customers for years to come. In this regard, and considering the Postal 
Service's statutory obligations, the proposed changes would enable the 
Postal Service to achieve a better balance of cost-effectiveness and 
reliability, by enabling the Postal Service to undertake critically 
necessary operational initiatives and more realistically aligning the 
service standards with our operational capabilities. The proposed rule 
would result in much more precise and efficient network operations that 
better match current and projected mail mix and volumes, and the Postal 
Service anticipates that the changes will result in significant cost 
savings, in addition to enhancing service reliability and 
predictability. This keeps costs at reasonable levels and helps to 
ensure affordable rates. Overall, the operational changes and 
associated service standards will revitalize and rationalize our 
network in a way that enables us to be a modern and high-performing 
organization.
    Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3661(b), on October 4, 2024, the Postal 
Service requested an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory 
Commission relating to these proposed revisions to 39 CFR part 121; the 
Commission is considering the request in Docket No. N2024-1. Further 
explanation and justification of the operational initiatives and the 
proposed service standards, and how they are consistent with 39 U.S.C. 
3691 and other provisions of law, can be found in the materials that 
the Postal Service has filed in that docket.
    Finally, while the proposed changes must also be pursued with a 
sense of urgency, given both our financial condition and the 
fundamental fact that we cannot be an efficient, high-performing 
organization until we fix the inefficiencies of our current network, it 
is important to note that the Postal Service would not implement the 
proposed service standard changes any sooner than 90 days after the 
filing of the advisory opinion request noted above. As such, these 
proposed changes would not be implemented until the next calendar year 
and would therefore not impact our preparedness for peak season 2024 
(and also did not impact our efforts to deliver Election Mail in a 
timely fashion for the 2024 General Election).

II. Proposed Revisions to Service Standards

    The Postal Service's market-dominant service standards are 
contained in 39 CFR part 121. The specific proposed revisions to 39 CFR 
part 121 appear at the end of this document. The following is a summary 
of the proposed revisions.

[[Page 90244]]

A. First-Class Mail

    Under the proposed rule, the process for collections would not 
change, nor would access to Postal Service retail services. Instead, 
RTO would eliminate the interdependency between the time mail is 
collected from our customers and network transportation schedules and 
plant processing schedules; eliminating this interdependency between 
local retail and collection operations, and our network logistics and 
processing operations, is critically important to enabling us to create 
a precise, efficient, and cost-effective network, as discussed in more 
detail above. ZIP Codes would be designated for RTO when a retail/
collection facility within that 5-digit ZIP Code is more than 50 miles 
from the RPDC (though exceptions may apply). In situations where the 
RPDC is a campus, the 50-mile rule will be based on the location of the 
specific facility that performs cancellation operations. The proposed 
rule generally would add no day for Leg 1 for ZIP Codes within 50 miles 
from the RPDC campus and would add one day to the service standard for 
ZIP Codes that are more than 50 miles from the originating RPDC. This 
would allow for more efficient and flexible transportation schedules 
and improve the arrival profile for mail processing operations, 
enabling the Postal Service to more timely dispatch the volume that is 
collected closer to the RPDC to the Leg 2 transportation network.
    This logic would generally apply to all end-to-end volume across 
market-dominant products. Because Leg 1 is the portion of operations 
from collection to the originating plant, this rule would not apply to 
any products entered at an RPDC, Presort First-Class Mail, or any 
destination-entered volume. For operational efficiency, the Postal 
Service is considering how to adjust when and where Presort First-Class 
Mail volume may be entered to ensure that it is not subject to RTO. 
This may result in specification of locations where Presort First-Class 
Mail can be entered, or changing the critical entry time (CET) for 
Presort First-Class Mail to ensure there is sufficient time for volume 
to enter the network. The CET is the latest time on a particular day 
that a mail piece can be entered into the postal network and still have 
its service standard calculated based on that day (this day is termed 
``day-zero''); all of the service standards are contingent upon proper 
acceptance before the applicable CET.
    RTO would provide flexibility in regional transportation 
scheduling, as the standards would accommodate the fact that mail and 
packages could under RTO be picked up the next day from the Post Office 
on the same trip that also dropped off mail at that Post Office for 
delivery that day. Explicitly accounting for this operational practice 
in the service standards enables the Postal Service to achieve the 
benefits of RTO, while also providing customers with more precise and 
reliable service expectations. Additionally, by no longer requiring all 
mail to wait for the volumes collected from the furthest away Post 
Offices, the Postal Service would be able to accelerate the mail that 
is within the 50-mile radius of an RPDC through mail processing, 
allowing for it to be dispatched to the network earlier, thus enabling 
the expansion of the Leg 2 service standard bands. As such, the 
addition of a day for Leg 1 would not necessarily equate to the 
addition of a day for the service standard overall for a given 
mailpiece. Rather, the service standard for a particular mailpiece 
would depend on the specific origin and destination and the cumulative 
number of days that are applicable across the operational segments 
(with no First-Class Mail having a service standard that exceeds five 
days).
    Under the proposed rule for First-Class Mail, there are several 
fundamental changes to the calculation of service standards at Leg 2 to 
align with the end-state RPDC network. First, the measured transit path 
would be updated. The current network path used for measurement is 
Origin Processing and Distribution Center or Facility (OPDC/F) to Area 
Distribution Center (ADC) to Sectional Center Facility (SCF). The 
proposed rule would instead measure the distance between the 
Originating RPDC and the Destination RPDC and then the distance between 
the Destination RPDC to the Destination LPC.
    Second, because of the improved arrival profiles facilitated by RTO 
and the improved efficiencies in the RPDC network, under the proposed 
rule, each of the existing service standard bands would expand by four 
hours for First-Class Mail. For example, under the current standards, 
First-Class Mail traveling three hours or less receives a 2-day 
standard. Under the proposed changes, First-Class Mail traveling up to 
seven hours (i.e., the current three hours, plus four more hours) would 
receive a 2-day standard. The bands applicable to the assignment of 3-
day and 4-day standards within Leg 2 will also expand by four hours 
each.
    Finally, even for pairs of originating and destinating 5-digit ZIP 
Codes where the application of the Leg 1 and Leg 2 rules noted above 
would otherwise result in a 6-day standard, the standard would 
nonetheless be capped at five days for such pairs.
    This segment-by-segment approach applies to inter-RDPC volume 
(i.e., volume that is moving across the network). Specific rules will 
apply to mail and packages originating and destinating within the same 
RPDC region (intra-RDPC volume). Specifically, the proposed service 
standards would expand the geographic scope of such ``turnaround'' 
volume, which is volume originating and destinating within a facility's 
service area. Currently, certain intra-SCF volume receives a 2-day 
standard. Under the proposed rule, certain intra-LPC and all intra-RPDC 
First-Class Mail volume would be subject to a new turnaround rule, 
which would provide for a 2- or 3-day standard, depending on the 
location of the originating mail volume. Specifically, processing 
facilities that cancel Single-Piece First-Class Mail on automated 
equipment would have a 2-day standard for turnaround Single-Piece 
First-Class Mail originating from 5-digit ZIP Codes within 50 miles of 
the cancellation location. By contrast, if certain originating volume 
is from a 5-digit ZIP Code beyond 50 miles of the cancellation 
location, the turnaround standard for Single-Piece First-Class Mail 
would be three days. The decision on which LPCs would maintain 
cancellation operations for Single-Piece First-Class Mail, and thus 
process local turnaround mail without transporting it to an RPDC, would 
be based on operational factors, such as distance from the RPDC to the 
LPC, and the volume of turnaround mail processed at the LPC. In 
situations in which the LPC retains cancellation operations, the 50-
mile rule noted above will be based on the distance from the LPC. In 
other situations, the RPDC will have cancellation operations, meaning 
the 50-mile rule will be based on the distance from the RPDC.
    Currently, a 1-day service standard is applied to intra-SCF 
domestic Presort First-Class Mail pieces properly accepted at the SCF 
before the day-zero CET. To account for the redesigned network, a 1-day 
service standard would instead apply to eligible intra-LPC Presort 
First-Class Mail pieces properly accepted at the LPC before the day-
zero CET. On the other hand, for eligible Presort First-Class Mail 
within the contiguous 48 states that is not eligible for the intra-LPC 
1-day standard, but that nevertheless originates and destinates within 
the same RPDC, a 2-day service standard would apply.

[[Page 90245]]

    RTO would not apply to originating locations outside of the 
contiguous 48 states; also, the service standards for domestic First-
Class Mail originating and/or destinating in such locations would not 
necessarily depend on the segment-by-segment network path. As a result, 
service standards for domestic First-Class Mail originating and/or 
destinating in such locations would generally not change; an exception, 
for example, would be application of RTO to domestic Single-Piece 
First-Class Mail that (1) originates in the contiguous 48 states, (2) 
is collected in and dispatched from a 5-digit ZIP Code that is over 50 
miles in driving distance from the originating RPDC, and (3) destinates 
in the city of Anchorage, Alaska (5-digit ZIP Codes 99501 through 
99539), the 968 3-digit ZIP Code area in Hawaii, or the 006, 007, or 
009 3-digit ZIP Code areas in Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, 
notwithstanding application of RTO generally for domestic First-Class 
Mail that meets these conditions, a maximum 5-day service standard 
would be applied.
    A same-day service standard will continue to apply to USPS 
Connect[supreg] Local Mail pieces accepted at participating Destination 
Delivery Units (DDUs) before the applicable day-zero CET; for USPS 
Connect[supreg] Local Mail, Sorting & Delivery Centers are also 
considered DDUs. A 1-day service standard will continue to apply to all 
other pieces accepted as USPS Connect[supreg] Local Mail, including 
pieces accepted via carrier pick-up.
    The proposed rule would also have certain effects on standards for 
international mail. As a result of the proposed application of 5-digit 
to 5-digit ZIP Code pairs, the service standard for outbound Single-
Piece First-Class Mail International pieces properly accepted before 
the day-zero CET would be equivalent to the service standard for 
domestic First-Class Mail pieces originating from the same 5-digit ZIP 
Code area and destined to the 5-digit ZIP Code area in which the 
designated International Service Center is located. Similarly, the 
service standard for Inbound Letter Post pieces properly accepted 
before the day-zero CET would be equivalent to the service standard for 
domestic First-Class Mail pieces destined to the same 5-digit ZIP Code 
area and originating from the 5-digit ZIP Code area in which the 
applicable International Service Center is located. Because Inbound 
Parcel Post (at Universal Postal Union (UPU) rates) includes Inbound 
Surface Parcel Post (at UPU rates), and because that product is now 
competitively classified, the proposed rule would remove it from these 
market-dominant service standards.

B. Periodicals, USPS Marketing Mail, and Package Services

    Service standards for end-to-end Periodicals and USPS Marketing 
Mail originating and destinating in the contiguous 48 states would 
generally flow from the Single-Piece First-Class Mail standards using 
the same measured travel path (disregarding standards for USPS 
Connect[supreg] Local Mail and for intra-LPC ``turnaround'' service). 
For Periodicals, the general rule in relation to First-Class Mail would 
remain the same--i.e., a 3-6-day range would be applied to Periodicals, 
with the standard generally equaling the sum of the applicable First-
Class Mail service standard (disregarding standards for USPS 
Connect[supreg] Local Mail and for intra-LPC ``turnaround'' service) 
plus one day. For USPS Marketing Mail, the rule would add two days to 
the applicable First-Class Mail service standard (disregarding 
standards for USPS Connect[supreg] Local Mail and for intra-LPC 
``turnaround'' service). This means that the outer-bound for USPS 
Marketing Mail in the contiguous states would be seven days, rather 
than ten days under the current standards. For end-to-end Package 
Services within the contiguous 48 states, the rule would add two days 
to the First-Class Mail standards, after 5-9 hours of Leg 2 driving 
time is added to the applicable First-Class Mail service band; overall, 
this would reduce the outer-bound of the service standards for Package 
Services in the contiguous states to seven days, rather than the 
current eight days.
    With respect to Destination Entry Periodicals, Destination Entry 
USPS Marketing Mail, and Destination Entry Package Services, the 
service standards generally would not change, except to reflect the new 
network. That is, to correspond with the operational network and 
infrastructure changes that the Postal Service is implementing, the 
LPCs would replace the ADCs and the SCFs in the service standards. 
Likewise, the RPDCs would replace the Network Distribution Centers 
(NDCs) in the service standards. These changes would allow some 
Destination Entry Periodicals to receive an accelerated service 
standard, in part because it will no longer matter in this respect 
whether Destination ADCs (DADCs) and Destination SCFs (DSCFs) are co-
located, given that they are both being replaced by Destination LPCs 
(DLPCs).
    Under the proposed rule, for Destination Entry Periodicals 
originating and/or destinating in locations outside of the contiguous 
48 states, service standards would largely remain unchanged, aside from 
facility nomenclature updates reflecting the network redesign, with 
certain exceptions. A small volume of mail to and/or from locations 
outside the contiguous states would experience a service standard that 
is longer than the current service standards, while some other volume 
outside the contiguous states would experience a service standard that 
is shorter than the current service standards. Currently, for example, 
a 3-day service standard is applied to Periodicals pieces that qualify 
for a DSCF rate and are properly accepted before the day-zero CET at 
the designated DSCF, if they are entered at the DSCF in Puerto Rico and 
destined to the U.S. Virgin Islands, or destined to the following 3-
digit ZIP Code areas in Alaska (or designated portions thereof): 995 
(5-digit ZIP Codes 99540 through 99599), 996, 997, 998, and 999; on the 
other hand, currently a 4-day service standard is applied to 
Periodicals pieces that qualify for a DADC rate and are properly 
accepted before the day-zero CET at the designated DADC, if they are 
entered at the DADC in Puerto Rico and destined to the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, or if they are destined to the following 3-digit ZIP Code 
areas in Alaska (or designated portions thereof): 995 (5- ZIP Codes 
99540 through 99599), 996, 997, 998, and 999. Since LPCs would replace 
ADCs, and since DLPC service standards would largely track those 
currently applied to DSCF volume, for such mail, the shorter of the two 
service standards (i.e., 3-day) would apply to Periodicals pieces that 
qualify for a DLPC rate and are properly accepted before the day-zero 
CET at the designated DLPC, if they are entered at the DLPC in Puerto 
Rico and destined to the U.S. Virgin Islands, or destined to the 
following 3-digit ZIP Code areas in Alaska (or designated portions 
thereof): 995 (5-digit ZIP Codes 99540 through 99599), 996, 997, 998, 
and 999.
    Furthermore, a 3-day service standard is currently applied to 
Periodicals pieces that qualify for a DSCF rate and are properly 
accepted before the day-zero CET at the designated DSCF, if they are 
entered at the DSCF in Hawaii and are destined to American Samoa; on 
the other hand, currently a 4-day standard applies to Periodicals 
pieces that qualify for a DADC rate, are properly accepted before the 
day-zero CET at the designated DADC, and are destined to American 
Samoa. For reasons of operational feasibility, under the proposed rule, 
a 4-day service standard would be applied to Periodicals pieces

[[Page 90246]]

that qualify for a DLPC rate and are properly accepted before the day-
zero CET at the designated DLPC, if they are destined to American 
Samoa.
    Finally, as the service standards themselves have been simplified, 
the tables depicting day-ranges for non-contiguous states and 
territories at the end of Part 121 (Tables 2 and 4) likewise have been 
streamlined. Table 2 reflects the general standards for end-to-end day-
ranges for the non-contiguous states and territories, including 
exceptions for some intermodal transportation. Table 4 reflects the 
general standards for destination entry day-ranges for the non-
contiguous states and territories, including consolidated day-ranges 
resulting from LPCs and RPDCs superseding SCFs, ADCs, and NDCs.

III. Request for Comments

    The Postal Service requests comments on all aspects of the 
proposal. In particular, the Postal Service solicits comments on the 
effects that the proposal could have on senders and recipients of the 
affected market-dominant mail classes. Mail users are encouraged to 
comment on the nature and extent of costs or savings they might 
experience as a result of the changes described in this document, as 
well as any additional possible costs or benefits they foresee, such as 
increased reliability and predictability. The provision of empirical 
data supporting any cost-benefit analysis also would be useful. 
Further, the Postal Service requests mail users' views regarding the 
application of the policies and requirements of Title 39 of the U.S. 
Code, particularly sections 101, 403, 404, and 3691, to the proposal. 
The Postal Service intends to consider comments received in response to 
this document as it determines whether to amend the service standard 
regulations and the manner in which any such amendments would be 
implemented. The Postal Service has also requested an advisory opinion 
from the Postal Regulatory Commission pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3661(b).
    Although exempt from the document and comment requirements of the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(b), (c)) regarding proposed 
rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 410(a), the Postal Service invites public 
comments on the proposed revisions to 39 CFR part 121 and on the 
proposal generally. A more extensive discussion of the proposal and its 
associated network and service implications is available in the 
materials filed by the Postal Service with the Postal Regulatory 
Commission in Docket No. N2024-1, at http://www.prc.gov. If the Postal 
Service determines to implement the proposal, it will publish a final 
rule in the Federal Register. In any event, these service standard 
changes would not be implemented prior to 2025.

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 121

    Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.

    Accordingly, for the reasons stated in the preamble, the Postal 
Service proposes to amend 39 CFR part 121 as follows:

PART 121--SERVICE STANDARDS FOR MARKET-DOMINANT MAIL PRODUCTS

0
1. The authority citation for part 121 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 1001, 3691.

0
2. Add Sec.  121.0 to read as follows:

Sec.  121.0   Market-dominant product service standards.

    Service standards in this part are contingent upon proper 
acceptance before the applicable day-zero Critical Entry Time (CET). 
Applying the service standards appearing in this part, effective 
service standards for combinations of 5-digit originating ZIP Codes and 
5-digit destinating ZIP Codes can be found in a lookup table at 
www.usps.com.
0
3. Revise Sec.  121.1 to read as follows:

Sec.  121.1   First-Class Mail.

    (a) Service Standards Based on Delivery Legs Within the Contiguous 
48 States Except as specified in paragraph (b), service standards for 
domestic First-Class Mail, whose origin and destination are within the 
contiguous 48 states, are calculated as the sum of service expectation 
days between 5-digit ZIP Code pairs, accruing across three successive 
legs as follows:
    (1) Leg 1. Unless an exception applies due to operational or 
business considerations, for this leg (i) one service expectation day 
is added to First-Class Mail (excluding eligible Presort First-Class 
Mail) originating in a 5-digit ZIP Code when a facility from which mail 
is dispatched for the originating 5-digit ZIP Code is over 50 miles in 
driving distance from the originating Regional Processing and 
Distribution Center or Campus (RPDC), and (ii) zero service expectation 
days are added for all other First-Class Mail, including Single-Piece 
First-Class Mail when no facility from which mail is dispatched for the 
originating 5-digit ZIP Code is over 50 miles in driving distance from 
the originating RPDC, and including eligible Presort First-Class Mail.
    (2) Leg 2. (i) Two service expectation days are added to First-
Class Mail if the combined drive time between the originating RPDC, the 
destinating RPDC, and the destinating Local Processing Center (LPC) is 
7 hours or less;
    (ii) Three service expectation days are added to First-Class Mail 
if the combined drive time between the originating RPDC, the 
destinating RPDC, and the destinating LPC is more than 7 hours and not 
more than 24 hours;
    (iii) Four service expectation days are added to First-Class Mail 
pieces if the combined drive time between the originating RPDC, the 
destinating RPDC, and the destinating LPC is more than 24 hours and not 
more than 45 hours; and
    (iv) Five service expectation days are added to all remaining 
First-Class Mail pieces, except that four days are added to any such 
First-Class Mail for which a day is added under Leg 1.
    (3) Leg 3. No service expectation days are added in Leg 3.
    (b) Exceptions to Service Standards Based on Delivery Legs Within 
the Contiguous 48 States. (1) A same-day service standard applies to 
USPS Connect[supreg] Local Mail pieces accepted at participating 
Destination Delivery Units, and a one-day service standard applies to 
all other pieces accepted as USPS Connect[supreg] Local Mail.
    (2) A one-day service standard applies to eligible intra-LPC 
Presort First-Class Mail pieces accepted at the LPC.
    (3) For First-Class Mail that is not USPS Connect[supreg] Local 
Mail, with respect to ``turnaround'' service for pieces originating and 
destinating within the same RPDC service area or within the same LPC 
service area for certain qualifying LPCs (designated by the Postal 
Service based on operational considerations such as an LPC's distance 
from its servicing RPDC and volume processed at the LPC):
    (i) A two-day service standard applies to:
    (A) Eligible Presort First-Class Mail that is not eligible for a 
one day service standard under paragraph (2) and that originates and 
destinates in the same RPDC service area; and
    (B) Single-Piece First-Class Mail originating in a 5-digit ZIP Code 
when no facility from which mail is dispatched for the originating 5-
digit ZIP Code is over 50 miles in driving distance of the originating 
RPDC or qualifying LPC and destinates within the same RPDC's or 
qualifying LPC's service area.
    (ii) A three-day service standard applies to Single-Piece First-
Class Mail originating in a 5-digit ZIP Code when

[[Page 90247]]

a facility from which mail is dispatched for the originating 5-digit 
ZIP Code is over 50 miles in driving distance of the originating RPDC 
or qualifying LPC and destinates within the same RPDC's or qualifying 
LPC's service area.
    (c) Service Standards for Domestic First-Class Mail Originating 
and/or Destinating in Locations Outside of the Contiguous 48 States. 
(1) A same-day service standard applies to USPS Connect[supreg] Local 
Mail pieces accepted at participating Destination Delivery Units.
    (2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), a one-day service standard 
applies to:
    (i) Eligible intra-LPC Presort First-Class Mail pieces accepted at 
the LPC, whose origin and destination are outside the contiguous 48 
states; and
    (ii) All other pieces accepted as USPS Connect[supreg] Local Mail.
    (3) A two-day service standard applies to:
    (i) Eligible Presort First-Class Mail that originates in Puerto 
Rico and destinates in the U.S. Virgin Islands, or vice versa;
    (ii) Eligible intra-LPC Presort First-Class Mail with an origin or 
destination that is in American Samoa or one of the following 3-digit 
ZIP Code areas in Alaska (or designated portions thereof): 995 (5-digit 
ZIP Codes 99540 through 99599), 996, 997, 998, and 999; and
    (iii) Other intra-LPC First-Class Mail pieces whose origin and 
destination are outside the contiguous 48 states, including any other 
intra-LPC Presort pieces that are not eligible for a one-day service 
standard.
    (4) A four-day service standard applies to First-Class Mail pieces 
if the same-day, one-day, or two-day service standards do not apply 
and:
    (i) The origin is in the 006, 007, or 009 3-digit ZIP Code areas in 
Puerto Rico, and the destination is in the contiguous 48 states;
    (ii) The origin is in Hawaii, and the destination is in Guam, or 
vice versa;
    (iii) The origin is in Hawaii, and the destination is in American 
Samoa, or vice versa;
    (iv) Both the origin and destination are within Alaska; or
    (v) Such mail originates in a 5-digit ZIP Code where no facility 
from which mail is dispatched for that 5-digit ZIP Code is over 50 
miles of driving distance from its originating RPDC, and the origin is 
in the contiguous 48 states and the destination is in the city of 
Anchorage, Alaska (5-digit ZIP Codes 99501 through 99539), the 968 3-
digit ZIP Code area in Hawaii, or the 006, 007, or 009 3-digit ZIP Code 
areas in Puerto Rico.
    (5) A five-day service standard applies to all remaining domestic 
First-Class Mail pieces originating and/or destinating outside the 
contiguous 48 states.
    (d) Service Standards for International First-Class Mail. (1) The 
service standard for Outbound Single-Piece First-Class Mail 
International[supreg] pieces is equivalent to the service standard for 
domestic Single-Piece First-Class Mail pieces originating from the same 
5-digit ZIP Code area and destined to the 5-digit ZIP Code area in 
which the designated International Service Center, or its functional 
equivalent, is located.
    (2) The service standard for Inbound Letter Post pieces from the 
first USPS scan is equivalent to the service standard for domestic 
Single-Piece First-Class Mail pieces destined to the same 5-digit ZIP 
Code area and originating from the 5-digit ZIP Code area in which the 
applicable International Service Center, or its functional equivalent, 
is located.
0
4. Revise Sec.  121.2 to read as follows:

Sec.  121.2   Periodicals.

    (a) End-to-End. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 3- to 6-
day service standard applies to end-to-end Periodicals pieces, with the 
standard generally equaling the sum of one day plus the applicable 
Single-Piece First-Class Mail (FCM) service standard (disregarding 
standards for USPS Connect[supreg] Local FCM and for intra-Local 
Processing Center ``turnaround'' service).
    (2) For certain end-to-end Periodicals pieces originating and/or 
destinating outside the contiguous 48 states, a 10- to 27-day service 
standard applies, with the standard generally equaling the sum of 3 to 
6 days plus the number of additional days (from 7 to 21) for which 
certain intermodal (e.g., highway, boat, air-taxi) transportation is 
utilized.
    (b) Destination Entry. (1) Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) Entered 
Mail. A 1-day (overnight) service standard applies to Periodicals 
pieces that qualify for a DDU rate.
    (2) Destination Local Processing Center (DLPC) Entered Mail. (i) A 
1-day (overnight) service standard applies to Periodicals pieces that 
qualify for a DLPC (or analogous legacy) rate, except for mail entered 
in Puerto Rico and destined to the U.S. Virgin Islands, mail destined 
to American Samoa, and mail destined to the following 3-digit ZIP Code 
areas in Alaska (or designated portions thereof): 995 (5-digit ZIP 
Codes 99540 through 99599), 996, 997, 998, and 999;
    (ii) A 3-day service standard applies to Periodicals pieces that 
qualify for a DLPC (or analogous legacy) rate, if they are entered in 
Puerto Rico and destined to the U.S. Virgin Islands, or if they are 
destined to the following 3-digit ZIP Code areas in Alaska (or 
designated portions thereof): 995 (5-digit ZIP Codes 99540 through 
99599), 996, 997, 998, and 999.
    (iii) A 4-day service standard applies to Periodicals pieces that 
qualify for a DLPC (or analogous legacy) rate if they are destined to 
American Samoa.
    (3) Destination Regional Processing and Distribution Center or 
Campus (DRPDC) Entered Mail. (i) A 2-day service standard applies to 
Periodicals pieces that qualify for a DRPDC (or analogous legacy) rate, 
are entered in the contiguous 48 states, and are destined within the 
contiguous 48 states;
    (ii) An 8- to 10-day service standard applies to Periodicals pieces 
that qualify for a DRPDC (or analogous legacy) rate, are entered in the 
contiguous 48 states, and are destined outside the contiguous 48 
states, with the specific standard being based on the number of days 
required for transportation outside the contiguous 48 states.
0
5. Revise Sec.  121.3 to read as follows:

Sec.  121.3   USPS Marketing Mail.

    (a) End-to-End. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 4- to 7-
day service standard applies to end-to-end USPS Marketing Mail pieces, 
with the standard generally equaling the sum of 2 days plus the 
applicable Single-Piece First-Class Mail (FCM) service standard 
(disregarding standards for USPS Connect[supreg] Local FCM and for 
intra-Local Processing Center (LPC) ``turnaround'' service).
    (2) For certain end-to-end USPS Marketing Mail pieces originating 
and/or destinating outside the contiguous 48 states, an 11- to 28-day 
service standard applies, with the standard generally equaling the sum 
of 4 to 7 days plus the number of additional days (from 7 to 21) for 
which certain intermodal (e.g., highway, boat, air-taxi) transportation 
is utilized.
    (b) Destination Entry. (1) USPS Marketing Mail pieces that qualify 
for a Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) rate have a 2-day service 
standard.
    (2) USPS Marketing Mail pieces that qualify for a Destination Local 
Processing Center (DLPC) (or analogous legacy) rate have a 3-day 
service standard when accepted on Sunday through Thursday and a 4-day 
service standard when accepted on Friday or Saturday, except for mail 
dropped at the LPC in the territory of Puerto Rico and destined to the 
territory of the U.S.

[[Page 90248]]

Virgin Islands, or mail destined to American Samoa.
    (3) USPS Marketing Mail pieces that qualify for a DLPC (or 
analogous legacy) rate and that are entered in the territory of Puerto 
Rico and destined to the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, or that 
are destined to American Samoa, have a 4-day service standard when 
accepted on Sunday through Thursday and a 5-day service standard when 
accepted on Friday or Saturday.
    (4) USPS Marketing Mail pieces that qualify for a Destination 
Regional Processing and Distribution Center or Campus (DRPDC) (or 
analogous legacy) rate have a 5-day service standard, if both the 
origin and the destination are in the contiguous 48 states.
    (5) USPS Marketing Mail pieces that qualify for a DRPDC (or 
analogous legacy) rate, and that are entered in the contiguous 48 
states for delivery to addresses in the states of Alaska or Hawaii or 
the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. 
Virgin Islands, have a service standard of 12-14 days, depending on the 
3-digit origin-destination ZIP Code pair. For each such pair, the 
applicable day within the range is based on the number of days required 
for transportation outside the contiguous 48 states.
0
6. Revise Sec.  121.4 to read as follows:

Sec.  121.4   Package Services.

    (a) End-to-End. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 4- to 7-
day service standard applies to end-to-end Package Services pieces, 
with the standard generally equaling the sum of 2 days plus the 
applicable Single-Piece First-Class Mail (FCM) service standard 
(disregarding standards for USPS Connect[supreg] Local FCM and for 
intra-Local Processing Center ``turnaround'' service) after adding 5-9 
hours to the applicable driving time bands of Leg 2 for FCM, as applied 
to specific 5-digit origin-destination pairs in the table cited in 
section 121.0.
    (2) For certain end-to-end Package Services pieces originating and/
or destinating outside the contiguous 48 states, an 11- to 29-day 
service standard applies, with the standard generally equaling the sum 
of 4 to 7 days plus the number of additional days (from 7 to 22) for 
which certain intermodal (e.g., highway, boat, air-taxi) transportation 
is utilized.
    (b) Destination Entry. (1) Package Services mail that qualifies for 
a Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) rate has a 1-day (overnight) service 
standard.
    (2) Package Services mail that qualifies for a Destination Local 
Processing Center (DLPC) (or analogous legacy) rate has a 2-day service 
standard, except for mail that is destined to either American Samoa or 
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
    (3) Package Services mail that qualifies for a DLPC rate, and that 
is destined to either American Samoa or the U.S. Virgin Islands, has a 
3-day service standard.
    (4) Package Services mail that qualifies for a Destination Regional 
Processing and Distribution Center or Campus (DRPDC) (or analogous 
legacy) rate, and that originates and destinates in the contiguous 48 
states, has a 3-day service standard.
    (5) Package Services mail that qualifies for a DRPDC (or analogous 
legacy) rate, and that is entered in the contiguous 48 states for 
delivery to addresses in the states of Alaska or Hawaii, or the 
territories of Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, has a service standard of either 11 or 12 days, depending on 
the 3-digit ZIP Code origin-destination pair. For each such pair, the 
applicable day within the range is based on the number of days required 
for transportation outside the contiguous 48 states.
0
7. Revise appendix A to part 121 to read as follows:

Appendix A to Part 121--Tables Depicting Service Standard Day Ranges

    The following tables reflect the service standard day ranges 
resulting from the application of the business rules applicable to 
the market-dominant mail products referenced in Sec. Sec.  121.0 
through 121.4 (for purposes of Part 121, references to the 
contiguous states or the contiguous 48 states also include the 
District of Columbia):
    Table 1. End-to-end service standard day ranges for mail 
originating and destinating within the contiguous 48 states and the 
District of Columbia.

          Table 1--End-to-End Service Within Contiguous States
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              End-to-end
                         Mail class                             range
                                                                (days)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
First-Class Mail...........................................          0-5
Periodicals................................................          3-6
USPS Marketing Mail........................................          4-7
Package Services...........................................          4-7
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Table 2. End-to-end service standard day ranges for mail 
originating and/or destinating in non-contiguous states and 
territories.

                Table 2--End-to-End Service to and/or From Non-Contiguous States and Territories
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                             End-to-end range (days)
                          Mail class                           -------------------------------------------------
                                                                 Intra-state/territory    Inter-state/territory
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First-Class Mail..............................................                      0-5                      2-5
Periodicals...................................................                      3-6                     3-27
USPS Marketing Mail...........................................                      4-7                     4-28
Package Services..............................................                    * 4-7                     4-29
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Excluding bypass mail.

    Table 3. Destination-entry service standard day ranges for mail 
to the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia.

                             Table 3--Destination Entry Service to Contiguous States
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 Contiguous states
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                                                                    Destination entry (at appropriate facility)
                           Mail class                                              range (days)
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                                                                       * DDU          * DLPC          * DRPDC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Periodicals.....................................................               1               1               2
USPS Marketing Mail.............................................               2             3-4               5

[[Page 90249]]

 
Package Services................................................               1               2               3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* DDU = Destination Delivery Unit; DLPC = Destination Local Processing Center; DRPDC = Destination Regional
  Processing and Distribution Center or Campus.

    Table 4. Destination entry service standard day ranges for mail 
to non-contiguous states and territories.

                                       Table 4--Destination Entry Service to Non-Contiguous States and Territories
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   Destination entry (at appropriate facility)
                                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  * DLPC range (days)                     * DRPDC range (days)
                       Mail class                                       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           * DDU range                 ** Hawaii,
                                                             (days)         Alaska     Guam, NMI,    ** PR &       Alaska     Hawaii, Guam,   PR & USVI
                                                                                          & AS         USVI                     NMI, & AS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Periodicals............................................               1          1-3          1-4          1-3        10-11              10         8-10
USPS Marketing Mail....................................               2          3-4          3-5          3-5           14              13           12
Package Services.......................................               1            2          2-3          2-3           12              11           11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* DDU = Destination Delivery Unit; DLPC = Destination Local Processing Center; DRPDC = Destination Regional Processing and Distribution Center or
  Campus.
** AS = American Samoa; NMI = Northern Mariana Islands; PR = Puerto Rico; USVI = United States Virgin Islands.

Christopher Doyle,
Attorney, Ethics & Legal Compliance.

[FR Doc. 2024-26434 Filed 11-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P
```