The Postal Regulatory Commission is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States.
(Added Pub. L. 109–435, title VI, §601(a)(1), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3238.)
Pub. L. 109–435, title VI, §601(b), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3239, provided that: "The amendment made by subsection (a)(1) [enacting this section and section 502 of this title] shall not affect the appointment or tenure of any person serving as a Commissioner on the Postal Regulatory Commission (as so redesignated by section 604 [see Tables for classification]) under an appointment made before the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2006] or any nomination made before that date, but, when any such office becomes vacant, the appointment of any person to fill that office shall be made in accordance with such amendment."
Pub. L. 117–108, title II, §206, Apr. 6, 2022, 136 Stat. 1148, provided that:
"(a)
"(1)
"(A) comprehensively identify the causes of inefficiencies in the collection, sorting, transportation, and delivery of Flats; and
"(B) quantify the effects of the volume trends, investments decisions, excess capacity, and operational inefficiencies of the Postal Service on the direct and indirect costs of the Postal Service that are attributable to Flats.
"(2)
"(A) access to Postal Service facilities to personnel of the Postal Regulatory Commission; and
"(B) information and records necessary to conduct such study.
"(3)
"(4)
"(b)
"(1)
"(A) develop and implement a plan to remedy each inefficiency identified in the study conducted under subsection (a)(1) to the extent practicable; and
"(B) if the Postal Service determines that remedying any such inefficiency is not practicable, provide to Congress and the Postal Regulatory Commission an explanation why remedying such inefficiency is not practicable, including whether it may become practicable to remedy such inefficiency at a later time.
"(2)
"(A) the Postal Regulatory Commission must approve the plan; and
"(B) the Postal Service shall provide an adequate opportunity for public comment on the plan.
"(3)
"(c)
[For definitions of "market-dominant product" and "Postal Service" as used in section 206 of Pub. L. 117–108, set out above, see section 102 of this title as made applicable by section 2(b) of Pub. L. 117–108, which is set out as a note below.]
Pub. L. 109–435, title VII, §701, Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3242, provided that:
"(a)
"(1) the operation of the amendments made by this Act [see Tables for classification]; and
"(2) recommendations for any legislation or other measures necessary to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the postal laws of the United States.
"(b)
Pub. L. 109–435, title VII, §702, Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3243, provided that:
"(a)
"(1)
"(2)
"(A) a comprehensive review of the history and development of universal service and the postal monopoly, including how the scope and standards of universal service and the postal monopoly have evolved over time for the Nation and its urban and rural areas;
"(B) the scope and standards of universal service and the postal monopoly provided under current law (including sections 101 and 403 of title 39, United States Code), and current rules, regulations, policy statements, and practices of the Postal Service;
"(C) a description of any geographic areas, populations, communities (including both urban and rural communities), organizations, or other groups or entities not currently covered by universal service or that are covered but that are receiving services deficient in scope or quality or both; and
"(D) the scope and standards of universal service and the postal monopoly likely to be required in the future in order to meet the needs and expectations of the United States public, including all types of mail users, based on discussion of such assumptions, alternative sets of assumptions, and analyses as the Postal Service considers plausible.
"(b)
"(1) any recommended changes to universal service and the postal monopoly as the Commission considers appropriate, including changes that the Commission may implement under current law and changes that would require changes to current law, with estimated effects of the recommendations on the service, financial condition, rates, and security of mail provided by the Postal Service;
"(2) with respect to each recommended change described under paragraph (1)—
"(A) an estimate of the costs of the Postal Service attributable to the obligation to provide universal service under current law; and
"(B) an analysis of the likely benefit of the current postal monopoly to the ability of the Postal Service to sustain the current scope and standards of universal service, including estimates of the financial benefit of the postal monopoly to the extent practicable, under current law; and
"(3) such additional topics and recommendations as the Commission considers appropriate, with estimated effects of the recommendations on the service, financial condition, rates, and the security of mail provided by the Postal Service.
"(c)
"(1) shall solicit written comments from the Postal Service and consult with the Postal Service and other Federal agencies, users of the mails, enterprises in the private sector engaged in the delivery of the mail, and the general public; and
"(2) shall address in the report any written comments received under this section.
"(d)
Pub. L. 109–435, title VII, §711, Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3248, provided that:
"(a)
"(1)
"(A) abuses of rates for nonprofit mail; and
"(B) deception of consumers.
"(2)
"(b)
Pub. L. 117–108, §2, Apr. 6, 2022, 136 Stat. 1127, provided that:
"(a)
"(b)