Page 9 - Postal Magazine Final
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WHAT IS THE PRC’S LEGACY?


                                                                             IN THEIR

                                                                             OWN WORDS:
                                                                             PRC PERSPECTIVE


                Mark Acton (R)                    Tony Hammond (R)
                 Commissioner                        Vice Chairman




                                                “This proposal is no more   “
                “Many of the                    than a starting point. All     The changes proposed
               Postal Service’s                 the Commissioners agree        in this Order essentially
             greatest challenges               that some change is needed      constitute a return to the
                                                to the ratemaking system.
              are not a primary                  But, we disagree on the       Postal Reorganization Act
              result of the rates               exact changes that would       (PRA)’s cost-of-service
                                                be most prudent . . . I am
              that it charges its              hopeful that, with the input    rates, but without any
               customers and                     of all stakeholders, the      of the protections of the
                  partners.”                   Commission can arrive at a      PRA framework. The PRA
                                               balanced resolution to this
                                                    review process.”           afforded the Postal Service
                                                                               the ability to recover all
                                                                               its costs through price
                                                                               increases, but accordingly
                                                                               made it forgo pricing
                                                                               flexibility and subjected it
                                                                               to significant regulatory
                                                                               scrutiny. The [subsequent]
                                                                               PAEA freed up the Postal
                                                                               Service’s flexibility to set
              Nanci E. Langley (D)                Robert G. Taub (R)           prices as it sees fit. But,
                 Commissioner                          Chairman
                                                                               it also simultaneously
                                                                               imposed the constraint of an
                                                                               overall price cap to protect
               “I continue to believe
               that the PAEA [Postal                                           customers. The changes
                Accountability and                  “First and                 proposed in this Order
                Enhancement Act]
              performed as Congress              foremost, the                 would grant the Postal
               intended—providing                                              Service the benefits of both
              the Postal Service with           financials need                systems and require of it the
             certain pricing flexibilities,        to be fixed.”               sacrifices of neither.
              the mailers with pricing                                                                        “
             predictability and stability,                                     - TONY HAMMOND
              and the regulator with
               enhanced authority.”
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