[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 77424-77425]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30111]


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POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION

39 CFR Part 3050

[Docket Nos. RM2015-7; Order No. 2294]


Periodic Reporting

AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing 
concerning the initiation of an informal rulemaking proceeding to 
consider a proposed change to analytical principles relating to 
periodic reports (Proposal Thirteen). This notice informs the public of 
the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative 
steps.

DATES: Comments are due: March 11, 2015. Reply Comments are due: April 
8, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments electronically via the Commission's Filing 
Online system at http://www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit comments 
electronically should contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section by telephone for advice on filing 
alternatives.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at 
202-789-6820.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. Summary
III. Initial Commission Action
IV. Ordering Paragraphs

I. Introduction

    On December 11, 2014, the Postal Service filed a petition pursuant 
to 39 CFR 3050.11 requesting the Commission's initiation of an informal 
rulemaking proceeding to consider a proposed change to analytical 
principles relating to periodic reports.\1\ The subject of the Petition 
is Proposal Thirteen, Updating the City Carrier Street Time Model.
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    \1\ Petition of the United States Postal Service for the 
Initiation of a Proceeding to Consider Proposed Change in Analytical 
Principles (Proposal Thirteen), December 11, 2014 (Petition).
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    The Petition includes two attachments. One is a summary of Proposal 
Thirteen (Summary); the other is a Report on City Carrier Street Time 
Study (Report). Id. at 1. The Postal Service characterizes the Report 
as a more comprehensive discussion of the Proposal. Petition at 1. The 
Postal Service concurrently filed two library references, along with an 
application for non-public treatment for one.\2\
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    \2\ Notice of Filing of USPS-RM2015-7/1, USPS-RM2015-7/NP1, and 
Application for Nonpublic Treatment, December 11, 2014 (Notice). 
Library Reference USPS-RM2015-7/1 includes the Report the Postal 
Service filed along with the Petition. Library Reference USPS-
RM2015-7/NP1 contains supporting non-public material. The Notice 
incorporates by reference the Application for Non-Public Treatment 
of Materials contained in Attachment Two to the December 27, 2013 
United States Postal Service Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Compliance 
Report. Notice at 1. See 39 CFR part 3007 for information on access 
to non-public material.
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    The Postal Service notes that Proposal Thirteen encompasses a 
subject which has been extensively discussed as part of the strategic 
rulemaking in Docket No. RM2011-3, Priorities for Future Data 
Collection and Analytical Work Relating to Periodic Reporting. It 
therefore states that it would simultaneously file a notice in that 
docket informing participants that it has presented Proposal Thirteen 
in this case.\3\ Petition at 1.
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    \3\ See Docket No. RM2011-3, Notice of the United States Postal 
Service of Filing Proposal to Update City Carrier Costing, December 
11, 2014.
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II. Summary

    City carrier street time costs. The city carrier network is the 
largest part of the Postal Service's delivery network, incurring a 
total direct labor cost in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 of almost $16 billion, 
of which over $12 billion were in street time costs. Id. Summary at 1. 
These city carrier street time costs represented 16.7 percent of total 
Postal Service FY 2013 costs. Id.
    Scope of proposal. Proposal Thirteen concerns changes to the city 
carrier street time model, which is used to determine the attributable 
street time costs in cost segment 7, City Carriers--Street Activities. 
Id. The Postal Service characterizes the changes as an update and 
improvement to the city carrier street time model. Id. at 2. It 
proposes accomplishing this by updating and refining the three main 
components of the model: construction of the cost pools, estimation of 
regular delivery variabilities, and estimation of package and 
accountable delivery variabilities. Id. In addition, the Postal Service 
asserts that improvements in the city carrier operational data systems 
have made it possible to use these systems to produce data needed for 
the update. Id. It states that this improvement allows all three parts 
of the model to be based upon larger, more stable, data sets and 
improved the statistical foundation for calculating attributable street 
time costs. Id.
    Anticipated implementation date. The Postal Service anticipates 
implementing this methodology change as the basis for FY 2015 reporting 
of city carrier street time costs. Petition at 2.

III. Initial Commission Action

    The Commission establishes Docket No. RM2015-7 for consideration of 
matters raised by the Petition. Additional information concerning the 
Petition may be accessed via the Commission's Web site at http://www.prc.gov.
    A technical conference will be held on January 14, 2015, at 10:00 
a.m. Eastern Standard Time in the Commission's hearing room.\4\ The 
technical conference will be audiocast. The Postal Service is to ensure 
that persons familiar with Proposal Thirteen and the supporting data 
and information that have been filed in this docket attend and, to the 
extent required, participate in the technical conference.
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    \4\ Attendees are advised to allow sufficient time for security 
procedures.
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    Interested persons may submit comments on the Petition and Proposal 
Thirteen no later than March 11, 2015. Reply comments are due no later 
than April 8, 2015.
    Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Katalin K. Clendenin is designated as an 
officer of the Commission (Public Representative) to represent the 
interests of the general public in this proceeding.
    Any additional documents the Commission issues in this docket will 
be posted on the Commission's Web site (http://www.prc.gov.), with 
redaction of protected material if warranted.

IV. Ordering Paragraphs

    It is ordered:
    1. The Commission establishes Docket No. RM2015-7 for consideration 
of the matters raised by the Petition of the United States Postal 
Service for the Initiation of a Proceeding to Consider Proposed Change 
in Analytical Principles (Proposal Thirteen), filed December 11, 2014.
    2. A technical conference will be held on January 14, 2015, at 
10:00 a.m. in the Commission's hearing room at 901 New York Avenue NW., 
Suite 200, Washington, DC 20268-0001.
    3. The Postal Service is to ensure that persons familiar with 
Proposal Thirteen, including supporting data and information that have 
been filed in this docket, attend and, to the extent required, 
participate in the technical conference.

[[Page 77425]]

    4. Comments are due no later than March 11, 2015. Reply comments 
are due no later than April 8, 2015.
    5. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, the Commission appoints Katalin K. 
Clendenin to serve as an officer of the Commission (Public 
Representative) to represent the interests of the general public in 
this docket.
    6. The Secretary shall arrange for publication of this order in the 
Federal Register.

By the Commission.
Shoshana M. Grove,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-30111 Filed 12-23-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-FW-P