The Postal Regulatory Commission held a town hall-style meeting at Dallas City Hall on May 17 and received input concerning the U.S. Postal Service's recent proposal to eliminate Saturday delivery. If the proposal comes to fruition, it will have a dramatic negative impact on community newspapers, Texas Press Association member newspaper publishers say.
Phil Major, publisher of the Wise County Messenger and immediate past chairman of the TPA board of directors, gave testimony in opposition to the proposal. Roy Robinson, current chairman of the TPA board of directors and publisher of The Graham Leader, also testified in opposition. The statements by Major and Robinson should be read in full. Click this LINK to read related story published by The Dallas Morning News. Postalmag.com, an online news source for USPS employees, posted this story about the hearing, including photos: http://postalmag.com/dallas-field-hearing.htm
The public hearing at Dallas City Hall was the third of seven regional hearings scheduled in May and June. Customers, including Texas Press Association members, are invited and encouraged to submit comments to the Postal Regulatory Commission through mid-October at this address: http://www.prc.gov/prc-pages/about/contact/default.aspx
TPA Postal Consultant Joel Allis said the USPS plans to switch from six-day delivery to five-day delivery in fiscal year 2011, which begins Oct. 1, 2010 -- less than five months from now. Congress has the power to enact legislation to prevent that change in service, Allis said.
