NNA’s request to expedite postal appeal granted

Apr 11, 2014

The request of the National Newspaper Association and others in the mailing industry of the U.S. Court of Appeals to expedite an appeal of the U.S. Postal Service’s 2014 exigency postage increase has been granted.

WASHINGTON—The request of the National Newspaper Association and others in the mailing industry of the U.S. Court of Appeals to expedite an appeal of the U.S. Postal Service’s 2014 exigency postage increase has been granted.

The District of Columbia circuit has cut about four months off the usual time for hearing an appeal, increasing the chances that a decision will be made before this fall, said NNA Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel Tonda F. Rush. Attorneys are now ordered to complete briefs by the end of June.

NNA and the Affordable Mail Alliance members appealed the 6.9 percent postage increase that USPS requested and the Postal Regulatory Commission granted in January. The Postal Service also appealed, objecting to the PRC’s decision to prevent the increase from becoming a permanent part of the USPS rate base. Instead, the PRC ordered USPS to wean itself off the higher rates after about two years.