WASHINGTON, DC Speaking to the Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee here today, Tom Day, Senior Vice President, Intelligent Mail and Address Quality, said the Postal Service will be ready for mail bearing Intelligent Mail barcodes next May as planned.

"We believe the benefits of an information-rich mail stream will be evident for our mailers and the entire mailing industry, and investments to make that a reality will prove to be very much worthwhile," continued Day. "However, given the volatility of the economy, decreasing mail volumes, and our own financial situation, it would be premature for us to commit to a pricing structure for the Intelligent Mail barcode at this time."

Intelligent Mail is a comprehensive, integrated program designed to revolutionize all aspects of how the

Postal Service accepts, processes and transports mail by using the Intelligent Mail barcode. The Intelligent Mail barcode notifies mailers when a mailing is inducted into the mail stream and allows them to track individual mail pieces as they travel through the postal network.

The Postmaster General's Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee is a venue for the Postal Service to share technical information with mailers and to receive advice and recommendations from mailers on matters concerning mail-related products and services in order to enhance customer value and expand the use of these products and services for mutual benefit. For more information, go to http://ribbs.usps.gov/mtac.html.

Three Intelligent Mail barcode Federal Register Notices (FRN) have been issued since January of this year. They can be found at http://pe.usps.gov/FederalRegisterNotices.asp.