The U.S. Postal Service Governors have decided that the current Standard Mail Flat prices will remain in effect.  The BOG has decided not to implement a temporary change to Standard Mail Regular and Nonprofit Flat prices recommended by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The PRC, due to a request by the BOG to take a harder look at Standard Flat rates, recommended a transitional temporary rate reduction of 3 cents for all Standard Mail Regular flats and 2 cents for Standard Regular nonprofit flats.

"We appreciate the [PRC's] thorough review of this matter and its creative recommendations to implement temporary rate reductions for mailers of Standard mail flats," James C. Miller, chairman of the USPS Board of Governors, wrote in the final decision. "We are concerned, however, that approving those recommendations would not be legally sound or practically prudent."

 "The approach suggested by the [PRC] would result in breakeven within the test year, but only by proposing to modify effective dates for selected rate changes outside of the test year," Mr. Miller said. "This is the first time such a step has been recommended in an omnibus rate case and even the [PRC] recognized that 'the Governors may determine that it is necessary to reject this recommendation.'"

The BOG also noted the difficulties in implementing the PRC's recommendation, pointing out the short timeframe for software vendors among other difficulties.

The BOG did approve a PRC recommendation on the price structure for Premium Stamped Stationery and Premium Stamped Cards. The stationery can be priced between three and four times the First-Class Mail Letters first-ounce single-piece rate, currently 41 cents, times the number of sheets.

The total price for the cards can be priced between two and three times the First-Class Mail Cards Regular single-piece rate, currently 26 cents, times the number of cards.