NNA’s influence in Washington benefits you

Matt Paxton

Jan 1, 2025

The U.S. Postal Service and the community newspaper industry have been partners in keeping America’s grass roots informed for well over two centuries, dating back to the time of Benjamin Franklin. While we have disagreements over such things as the necessity for steep rate increases, the fact remains that the Postal Service is the best alternative for local delivery for newspapers, at least at this time.

I thought it would be instructive to look at the many ways that the NNA has influenced and led USPS rulemaking for the benefit of community newspapers. This effort also goes back many years, but I’m most familiar with the past 30 years or so.

The NNA has been a consistent presence on Capitol Hill lobbying for legislation to strengthen the Postal Service and to keep it as a reliable, cost–effective carrier of our newspapers. NNA played a role in the PAEA legislation in 2006 that capped postal rate increases to the CPI for a decade. NNA also worked for years to get postal reform legislation to undo some of the negative impacts of PAEA, such as the retiree healthcare prefunding requirement. This law, passed in 2022, contained one specific provision that NNA is directly responsible for — the broadening of the in-county sampling privilege from 10% to 50%. Much of the direct outreach to lawmakers was done by NNA publishers taking their time to call, write and even go to Washington at their own expense.

The NNA’s legislative work has also been key to maintaining six–day mail delivery, which several Postmasters General wanted to end in the misguided opinion that it would save USPS money. NNA argued successfully on several occasions that it would not, and ultimately, the requirement was left in appropriations legislation that funds certain aspects of the Postal Services’ operation not covered by postage revenue.

The NNA has also been vigilant about protecting the In-County subclass of Periodicals mail. In-County mail is probably the most important segment of most community newspapers’ distribution system, and even with the huge increases in postal rates over the past three years, it remains one of the lowest cost means of mailing. This will always be a focus of the NNA’s Public Policy team.

Work by NNA staff and volunteers, notably the late Max Heath and retired NNA Public Policy Director Tonda Rush, are responsible for a number of cost- and labor-saving policies adopted by the Postal Service that directly benefit community newspapers. NNA pushed for the Alternate Marked Copy Rule, which relieved newspapers from having to submit copies of each edition of the newspaper, with the advertising portions marked, with every mailing. Under the new rule, once a newspaper was approved, it could archive the marked copies and simply make them available for audit by the local post office.

NNA’s work over the years has resulted in the Preferred Price Discount for small volume Periodical mailers, in the Overnight Drop privilege, and in codifying and maintaining the Exceptional Dispatch privilege. All of these save newspapers money and/or help to enhance service.

As I write this, the Postal Service is considering new rules on bundle preparation. We have met with postal officials to express our concern that an overly broad and inflexible rule requiring all bundles, whether they are ever processed on mail–handling equipment or delivered directly to the destination post office, all be bundled with plastic cross-strapping. We’re expecting that rule to be released in January, and we are hopeful that our concerns have been addressed.

So, when it comes time to pay those NNA dues, keep in mind that, because of NNA’s work over the decades, your mailings are a bit cheaper, and your service to your subscribers is better (at least locally.) NNA’s Postal and Public Policy teams make sure the Postal Service is kept aware of the concerns of community newspapers when they consider new rules and regulations.

Sometimes it’s hard to see what your member dues buys you. I hope this helps you understand the value of your NNA membership, not just to your company, but to the industry as a whole.

Matt Paxton is NNA postal chair and a member of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee for NNA, along with Brad Hill of Interlink and NNA's Lynne Lance.