A national group has argued to the U.S. Court of Appeals that the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) erred when it granted a $3.2 billion postage increase by the U.S. Postal Service last year. The group, which includes the National Newspaper Association (NNA), said the PRC ignored inconsistencies in the postal service’s economic argument for the increased rates. Because of the decision, community newspapers in January faced increases of 7 to 9 percent in a year when inflation hovered below 2 percent, according to the NNA. “NNA joined in this appeal because the commission’s decision is taking us irretrievably down the wrong road if we want a viable postal service,” said NNA President Robert M. Williams Jr., publisher of the Blackshear (Ga.) Times. “Instead of facing up to increased competition by restructuring critical costs, USPS resorted to first cutting services and then raising rates above inflation. Both of those strategies simply cut the throat of any sustainable plan for USPS to survive into the digital age. It is frustrating to many of us that at one minute USPS wants to talk about market share by competing with newspapers as if it were a private company, and then unilaterally raises its rates as if it were the unfettered government monopoly it really is.”
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 01:09:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015