Authorization To Manufacture and Distribute Postage Evidencing Systems, 78234-78236 [2020-26129]

Download as PDF 78234 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 2. Add § 165.T11–035 to read as follows: San Francisco Bay, from surface to bottom, within a circle formed by connecting all points 500 feet out from the vessel, M/V ZHEN HUA 35, during the vessel’s inbound transit from a line drawn between San Francisco Main Ship Channel Lighted Bell Buoy 7 and San Francisco Main Ship Channel Lighted Whistle Buoy 8 (LLNR 4190 & 4195) in positions 37°46.9′ N, 122°35.4′ W (NAD 83) and 37°46.5′ N, 122°35.2′ W (NAD 83), respectively, to Berth 57 at the Oakland International Container Terminal in Oakland, CA. (b) Definitions. As used in this section, ‘‘designated representative’’ means a Coast Guard Patrol Commander, including a Coast Guard coxswain, petty officer, or other officer operating a Coast Guard vessel or a Federal, State, or local officer designated by or assisting the Captain of the Port San Francisco (COTP) in the enforcement of the safety zone. (c) Regulations. (1) Under the general safety zone regulations in subpart B of this part, you may not enter the safety zone described in paragraph (a) of this section unless authorized by the COTP or the COTP’s designated representative. (2) The safety zone is closed to all vessel traffic, except as may be permitted by the COTP or the COTP’s designated representative. (3) Vessel operators desiring to enter or operate within the safety zone must contact the COTP or the COTP’s designated representative to obtain permission to do so. Vessel operators given permission to enter or operate in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or the COTP’s designated representative. Persons and vessels may request permission to enter the safety zone on VHF–23A or through the 24-hour Command Center at telephone (415) 399–3547. (d) Enforcement period. This section will be enforced between 12:01 a.m. on December 6, 2020 until 11:59 p.m. on December 20, 2020 during the inbound transit of the M/V ZHEN HUA 35, or as announced via Broadcast Notice to Mariners. (e) Information broadcasts. The COTP or the COTP’s designated representative will notify the maritime community of periods during which this zone will be enforced, in accordance with 33 CFR 165.7. § 165.T11–035 Safety Zone; Oakland Shipto-Shore Crane Arrival, San Francisco Bay, Oakland, CA Howard H. Wright, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Alternate Captain of the Port, San Francisco. (a) Location. The following area is a safety zone: all navigable waters of the [FR Doc. 2020–26686 Filed 12–3–20; 8:45 am] $100,000,000 (adjusted for inflation) or more in any one year. Though this rule will not result in such an expenditure, we do discuss the effects of this rule elsewhere in this preamble. F. Environment We have analyzed this rule under Department of Homeland Security Directive 023–01 and U.S. Coast Guard Environmental Planning Policy, COMDTINST 5090.1 (series), which guide the Coast Guard in complying with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370f), and have determined that this action is one of a category of actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. This rule involves a safety zone which prevents entry to a 500-foot radius area of the San Francisco Bay for a limited period of time during a vessel’s inbound transit. It is categorically excluded from further review under paragraph L60(a) in Table 3–1 of Department of Homeland Security Directive 023–01. A Record of Environmental Consideration supporting this determination is available in the docket where indicated under ADDRESSES. G. Protest Activities The Coast Guard respects the First Amendment rights of protesters. Protesters are asked to contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to coordinate protest activities so that your message can be received without jeopardizing the safety or security of people, places or vessels. List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165 Harbors, Marine safety, Navigation (water), Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Security measures, Waterways. For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33 CFR part 165 as follows: PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS 1. The authority citation for part 165 continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 46 U.S.C 70034, 70051; 33 CFR 1.05–1, 6.04–1, 6.04–6, and 160.5; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1. ■ VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:15 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 253001 BILLING CODE 9110–04–P PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 501 Authorization To Manufacture and Distribute Postage Evidencing Systems Postal ServiceTM. ACTION: Final rule. AGENCY: In this final rule, the Postal Service withdraws all authorizations to distribute (decertifies) Postage Evidencing Systems (PES) that are not producing compliant Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) on June 30, 2024. IMI compliant PES are defined in the IMI Performance Criteria (IMI–PC) and produce only IMI-Minimum (IMI–MIN), IMI-Standard (IMI–STD), and IMIMaximum (IMI–MAX) indicia constructs (as stated in the IMI–PC). All PES that are not IMI–PC compliant, also referenced as Phase VI–IBI and Phase VII–PC Postage (collectively Phase VI and Phase VII PES), will become decertified Postage Evidencing Systems on June 30, 2024. The decertified Postage Evidencing Systems must be withdrawn from service by December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the decertified PES must be marked inactive in the USPS PES management systems, including in the National Meter Accounting and Tracking System (NMATS). Postage indicia printed by Decertified PES will no longer be considered valid postage for use or refunds after June 30, 2025. DATES: This final rule is effective December 4, 2020. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ezana Dessie, Principal Business Systems Analyst, Ezana.Dessie@ usps.gov, (202) 268–5686. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to a notice of proposed rulemaking (85 FR 30671, May 20, 2020) to decertify and withdraw all nonIntelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) compliant Postage Evidencing Systems (PES) by June 30, 2024, the Postal Service received industry comments and feedback. The comments and feedback can be grouped into three areas: (I) Requests for an extension on the proposed dates for both the withdrawal of Decertified PES and the decertification of non IMI-postage indicia; (II) provision of more specificity on IMI–PC compliance and clarification on several items related to the decertification; and (III) additional clarification on the support the Postal Service will provide to the PES providers on the PES migration (from Information Based Indicia Program SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\04DER1.SGM 04DER1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Rules and Regulations (IBIP) to IMI–PC). We will address all three areas in turn below. I. Requests for an extension on the proposed dates for both the withdrawal of Decertified PES and the decertification of non-IMI postage indicia. The Postal Service has taken into consideration the concerns of the industry and is extending the dates for withdrawal of decertified PES and decertified indicia. The new withdrawal date will be December 31, 2024; the last date non-IMI indicia will be accepted for use as postage or for refunds will be June 30, 2025. Some commenters argued that changes to the IMI–PC before June 30, 2024 should extend the decertification date. The Postal Service will strive to minimize the number of changes it requires, but some changes will be inevitable and will not extend the timeline. II. Provision of more specificity on IMI–PC compliance and clarification on several items related to the decertification. Like any other institution, the Postal Service needs accurate, complete, and timely data to operate effectively; the IMI–PC supports these key business objectives for the Postal Service. The IMI–PC requires the PES providers to submit more detailed transaction data, with increased transparency and frequency; it also employs higher security specifications which address the rising security threats and challenges. IMI–PC enables the USPS to provide more detailed corporate reporting, more accurately price shipping/mailing products, attain operational efficiency by automating many functions (including postage refunds), improve the USPS Federal Regulatory compliance, and better secure Postal Service and customer data. Finally, the IMI–PC provides the USPS a better platform to bring improvements and updates to the USPS PES related products and services. Phase VI and Phase VII PES no longer meet the USPS PES requirements adequately. Commercial Payment has shared with each provider a list of Phase VI and Phase VII PES that are not IMI– PC compliant. A PES is IMI–PC compliant when conforming to IMI–PC specifications and all other current PES related guidelines, regulations, and technical requirements; this includes the rules and regulations in the Domestic Mail Manual, International Mail Manual, Publication 199, Notice 123, Code of Federal Regulations, and having a Postal Security Device (PSD) that has a valid Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) certificate at the time of authorization. The VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:15 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 253001 decertification and withdrawal of the Phase VI and Phase VII PES will allow for the full implementation of Phase VIII–IMI PES, in which both PC Postage and physical PES are validated under the current edition of the IMI–PC. In keeping with the June 30, 2024 decertification date and the December 31, 2024 withdrawal date, the providers must stop leasing non-IMI–PC compliant PES for lengths extending beyond the withdrawal date. Postage indicia printed by Decertified PES will not be considered valid postage after June 30, 2025; also, refund requests for all unused postage indicia need to be completed before this date. As the withdrawal date for PES approaches, the providers must coordinate with Commercial Payment (or its successor) to invalidate and remove the non-IMI– PC compliant PES from USPS PES product-service-line, in accordance with IMI–PC PES withdrawal guidelines. In rare and select cases, for unique service/business reasons that the Postal Service deems appropriate, PES providers may request a waiver to operate non-IMI–PC compliant PES beyond the December 31, 2024 withdrawal date. The waiver request form can be obtained from Commercial Payment. Any waiver granted will be in writing from Commercial Payment, or its successor. III. Additional clarification on the support the Postal Service will provide to the PES providers on the PES migration (from Information Based Indicia Program (IBIP) to IMI–PC). The updated withdrawal date (December 31, 2024) is based on the feedback and comments from the PES industry, the impact of the COVID–19 pandemic on the mailing and shipping industry, current market needs, and the USPS long-term PES product support/ management strategies. The USPS believes the updated withdrawal date allows the PES providers to execute the decertification and withdrawal process and complete the IBIP to IMI–PC transition with minimal impact to our customers. The USPS is committed to supporting the providers in the decertification and withdrawal process to minimize the impact of the transition to our PES customers. To this end, the USPS will provide the providers with three support tools for communication with their end customers: (1) A publication on the importance/value of IMI–PC for USPS (this will be available on PostalPro for the providers to utilize for their customer communications); (2) a license agreement for use of an IMI logo and wordmark to support the providers’ PES transition and IMI PES marketing work; and (3) USPS-led PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 78235 customer outreach in collaboration with the providers, when the Postal Service deems it necessary. List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 501 Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service. For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Postal Service amends 39 CFR part 501 as follows: PART 501—[AMENDED] 1. The authority citation for part 501 continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 410, 2601, 2605; Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (Pub. L. 95– 452, as amended); 5 U.S.C. App. 3. 2. Amend § 501.7 by revising paragraph (c) introductory text to read as follows: ■ § 501.7 Postage Evidencing System requirements. * * * * * (c) The provider must ensure that any matter printed by a Postage Evidencing System, whether within the boundaries of the indicia or outside the clear zone as defined in DMM 604.4.0 and the Intelligent Mail Indicia Performance Criteria (IMI–PC), is: * * * * * 3. Amend § 501.17 by adding paragraph (f) to read as follows: ■ § 501.17 Decertified Postage Evidencing Systems. * * * * * (f) Postage Evidencing Systems that do not comply with the then current Intelligent Mail Indicia Performance Criteria will be Decertified Postage Evidencing Systems on June 30, 2024. The withdrawal date for those systems will be December 31, 2024. 4. Amend § 501.20 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows: ■ § 501.20 Indicia. Discontinued Postage Evidencing * * * * * (b) Effective December 31, 2024 all Postage Evidencing Systems that do not to produce Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) for evidence of pre-paid postage must be withdrawn from service. Non-IMI indicia, which are not compliant with the then-current version of the IMI–PC, will be decertified and may not be used as a valid form of postage evidence. These decertified indicia may not be E:\FR\FM\04DER1.SGM 04DER1 78236 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Rules and Regulations column, top of page, we stated that we added a new paragraph at § 170.315(g)(10)(v)(A)(1)(iii). However, in the amendatory instruction for the regulation text, we inadvertently added the wrong citation. In amendatory instruction 11.b., on page 70083, the words ‘‘Adding paragraph (g)(10)(iv)(A)(1)(iii)’’ should have read ‘‘Adding paragraph (g)(10)(v)(A)(1)(iii).’’ We are correcting the error by including the correct citation in this document. recognized as valid postage for use or refunds, after June 20, 2025. Ruth Stevenson, Attorney, Federal Compliance. [FR Doc. 2020–26129 Filed 12–3–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710–12–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary 45 CFR Part 170 RIN 0955–AA02 Information Blocking and the ONC Health IT Certification Program: Extension of Compliance Dates and Timeframes in Response to the COVID–19 Public Health Emergency; Correction Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION: Final rule; correction. AGENCY: This document corrects typographical errors found in the interim final rule entitled ‘‘Information Blocking and the ONC Health IT Certification Program: Extension of Compliance Dates and Timeframes in Response to the COVID–19 Public Health Emergency’’ that was published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2020. DATES: The corrections in this document are effective on December 4, 2020. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Lipinski, Office of Policy, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, 202–690–7151. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: I. Background This document corrects typographical errors found in the interim final rule entitled ‘‘Information Blocking and the ONC Health IT Certification Program: Extension of Compliance Dates and Timeframes in Response to the COVID– 19 Public Health Emergency,’’ (Federal Register document 2020–24376) (85 FR 70064), that was published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2020. We summarize and correct these errors in the ‘‘Summary of Errors’’ and ‘‘Corrections of Errors’’ sections below. II. Summary of Errors A. Standardized API for Patient and Population Services As discussed in the preamble of the interim final rule, page 70077, second VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:15 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 253001 B. Real World Testing In the interim final rule, on page 70076, second column, top half of the page, we corrected the real world testing regulation text in § 170.405(b)(3) by removing the words ‘‘for C–CDA’’ from the heading of the paragraph (85 FR 70076). In § 170.405, we also extended the compliance dates for updating certain criteria until December 31, 2022 (85 FR 70072). However, in amendatory instruction 16.a., on page 70084, we inadvertently only included the instruction for ‘‘(b)(3) introductory text,’’. Because the revisions are being made to both the heading of § 170.405(b)(3) and the compliance date in § 170.405(b)(3)(ii), we are correcting the error in the amendatory instruction by adding ‘‘(b)(3)(ii),’’ after the phrase ‘‘(b)(3) introductory text,’’. III. Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking, Comment Period, and Delay in Effective Date Under 5 U.S.C. 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the agency is required to publish a notice of the proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register before the provisions of a rule take effect. In addition, section 553(d) of the APA mandates a 30-day delay in effective date after issuance or publication of a rule. Sections 553(b)(B) and 553(d)(3) of the APA provide for exceptions from the notice and comment and delay in effective date requirements. Section 553(b)(B) of the APA authorizes an agency to dispense with normal rulemaking requirements for good cause if the agency makes a finding that the notice and comment process are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest. In addition, section 553(d)(3) of the APA allows the agency to avoid the 30-day delay in effective date where such delay is contrary to the public interest and an agency includes a statement of support. We believe this correcting document does not constitute a rule that would be subject to the APA notice and comment or delayed effective date requirements. This document corrects typographical errors in regulation text of the interim PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 final rule, but does not make substantive changes to the policies that were adopted in the interim final rule. As a result, this correcting document is intended to ensure that the information in the interim final rule accurately reflects the policies adopted in that final rule. In addition, even if this were a rule to which the notice and comment procedures and delayed effective date requirements applied, we find that there is good cause to waive such procedures and requirements. Undertaking further notice and comment procedures to incorporate the corrections in this document into the interim final rule or delaying the effective date would be contrary to the public interest because they are obvious typographical errors that are being corrected. Furthermore, such procedures would be unnecessary, as we are not making substantive changes to our methodologies or policies, but rather, we are simply implementing correctly the policies that we previously proposed, requested comment on, and subsequently finalized. This correcting document is intended solely to ensure that the ONC Cures Act Final Rule and the interim final rule accurately reflect these policies. Therefore, we believe we have good cause to waive the notice and comment and effective date requirements. IV. Corrections of Errors In FR Doc 2020–24376 appearing on page 70064 in the Federal Register of Wednesday, November 4, 2020, for the reasons stated above, the Office of the Secretary corrects the following: § 170.315 [Corrected] 1. On page 70083, in the first column, the text of amendatory instruction 11 is corrected to read as follows: ■ 11. Amend § 170.315 by: ■ a. Revising paragraphs (b)(1)(iii)(A)(2), (b)(2)(i), (b)(2)(iii)(D) introductory text, (b)(2)(iv), (b)(3)(ii)(B)(2), (b)(7)(ii), (b)(8)(i)(B), (b)(9)(ii), (c)(3), (d)(13)(ii), (e)(1)(i)(A)(2), (f)(5)(iii)(B)(1) and (2), (g)(6)(i)(B), (g)(9)(i)(A)(2), (g)(10)(v)(A)(1)(ii), and (g)(10)(v)(A)(2)(ii); and ■ b. Adding paragraph (g)(10)(v)(A)(1)(iii). The revisions and addition read as follows: ■ § 170.405 [Corrected] 2. On page 70084, in the second column, the text of amendatory instruction 16 is corrected to read as follows: ■ 16. Amend § 170.405 by: ■ E:\FR\FM\04DER1.SGM 04DER1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 234 (Friday, December 4, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 78234-78236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26129]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 501


Authorization To Manufacture and Distribute Postage Evidencing 
Systems

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In this final rule, the Postal Service withdraws all 
authorizations to distribute (decertifies) Postage Evidencing Systems 
(PES) that are not producing compliant Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) 
on June 30, 2024. IMI compliant PES are defined in the IMI Performance 
Criteria (IMI-PC) and produce only IMI-Minimum (IMI-MIN), IMI-Standard 
(IMI-STD), and IMI-Maximum (IMI-MAX) indicia constructs (as stated in 
the IMI-PC). All PES that are not IMI-PC compliant, also referenced as 
Phase VI-IBI and Phase VII-PC Postage (collectively Phase VI and Phase 
VII PES), will become decertified Postage Evidencing Systems on June 
30, 2024. The decertified Postage Evidencing Systems must be withdrawn 
from service by December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the 
decertified PES must be marked inactive in the USPS PES management 
systems, including in the National Meter Accounting and Tracking System 
(NMATS). Postage indicia printed by Decertified PES will no longer be 
considered valid postage for use or refunds after June 30, 2025.

DATES: This final rule is effective December 4, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ezana Dessie, Principal Business 
Systems Analyst, [email protected], (202) 268-5686.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (85 FR 30671, May 20, 2020) to decertify and withdraw all 
non-Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) compliant Postage Evidencing Systems 
(PES) by June 30, 2024, the Postal Service received industry comments 
and feedback. The comments and feedback can be grouped into three 
areas: (I) Requests for an extension on the proposed dates for both the 
withdrawal of Decertified PES and the decertification of non IMI-
postage indicia; (II) provision of more specificity on IMI-PC 
compliance and clarification on several items related to the 
decertification; and (III) additional clarification on the support the 
Postal Service will provide to the PES providers on the PES migration 
(from Information Based Indicia Program

[[Page 78235]]

(IBIP) to IMI-PC). We will address all three areas in turn below.
    I. Requests for an extension on the proposed dates for both the 
withdrawal of Decertified PES and the decertification of non-IMI 
postage indicia.
    The Postal Service has taken into consideration the concerns of the 
industry and is extending the dates for withdrawal of decertified PES 
and decertified indicia. The new withdrawal date will be December 31, 
2024; the last date non-IMI indicia will be accepted for use as postage 
or for refunds will be June 30, 2025. Some commenters argued that 
changes to the IMI-PC before June 30, 2024 should extend the 
decertification date. The Postal Service will strive to minimize the 
number of changes it requires, but some changes will be inevitable and 
will not extend the timeline.
    II. Provision of more specificity on IMI-PC compliance and 
clarification on several items related to the decertification.
    Like any other institution, the Postal Service needs accurate, 
complete, and timely data to operate effectively; the IMI-PC supports 
these key business objectives for the Postal Service. The IMI-PC 
requires the PES providers to submit more detailed transaction data, 
with increased transparency and frequency; it also employs higher 
security specifications which address the rising security threats and 
challenges. IMI-PC enables the USPS to provide more detailed corporate 
reporting, more accurately price shipping/mailing products, attain 
operational efficiency by automating many functions (including postage 
refunds), improve the USPS Federal Regulatory compliance, and better 
secure Postal Service and customer data. Finally, the IMI-PC provides 
the USPS a better platform to bring improvements and updates to the 
USPS PES related products and services.
    Phase VI and Phase VII PES no longer meet the USPS PES requirements 
adequately. Commercial Payment has shared with each provider a list of 
Phase VI and Phase VII PES that are not IMI-PC compliant. A PES is IMI-
PC compliant when conforming to IMI-PC specifications and all other 
current PES related guidelines, regulations, and technical 
requirements; this includes the rules and regulations in the Domestic 
Mail Manual, International Mail Manual, Publication 199, Notice 123, 
Code of Federal Regulations, and having a Postal Security Device (PSD) 
that has a valid Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 
certificate at the time of authorization. The decertification and 
withdrawal of the Phase VI and Phase VII PES will allow for the full 
implementation of Phase VIII-IMI PES, in which both PC Postage and 
physical PES are validated under the current edition of the IMI-PC.
    In keeping with the June 30, 2024 decertification date and the 
December 31, 2024 withdrawal date, the providers must stop leasing non-
IMI-PC compliant PES for lengths extending beyond the withdrawal date. 
Postage indicia printed by Decertified PES will not be considered valid 
postage after June 30, 2025; also, refund requests for all unused 
postage indicia need to be completed before this date. As the 
withdrawal date for PES approaches, the providers must coordinate with 
Commercial Payment (or its successor) to invalidate and remove the non-
IMI-PC compliant PES from USPS PES product-service-line, in accordance 
with IMI-PC PES withdrawal guidelines.
    In rare and select cases, for unique service/business reasons that 
the Postal Service deems appropriate, PES providers may request a 
waiver to operate non-IMI-PC compliant PES beyond the December 31, 2024 
withdrawal date. The waiver request form can be obtained from 
Commercial Payment. Any waiver granted will be in writing from 
Commercial Payment, or its successor.
    III. Additional clarification on the support the Postal Service 
will provide to the PES providers on the PES migration (from 
Information Based Indicia Program (IBIP) to IMI-PC).
    The updated withdrawal date (December 31, 2024) is based on the 
feedback and comments from the PES industry, the impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic on the mailing and shipping industry, current market needs, 
and the USPS long-term PES product support/management strategies. The 
USPS believes the updated withdrawal date allows the PES providers to 
execute the decertification and withdrawal process and complete the 
IBIP to IMI-PC transition with minimal impact to our customers. The 
USPS is committed to supporting the providers in the decertification 
and withdrawal process to minimize the impact of the transition to our 
PES customers. To this end, the USPS will provide the providers with 
three support tools for communication with their end customers: (1) A 
publication on the importance/value of IMI-PC for USPS (this will be 
available on PostalPro for the providers to utilize for their customer 
communications); (2) a license agreement for use of an IMI logo and 
wordmark to support the providers' PES transition and IMI PES marketing 
work; and (3) USPS-led customer outreach in collaboration with the 
providers, when the Postal Service deems it necessary.

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 501

    Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Postal Service amends 
39 CFR part 501 as follows:

PART 501--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 501 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 410, 
2601, 2605; Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (Pub. L. 95-
452, as amended); 5 U.S.C. App. 3.


0
2. Amend Sec.  501.7 by revising paragraph (c) introductory text to 
read as follows:


Sec.  501.7   Postage Evidencing System requirements.

* * * * *
    (c) The provider must ensure that any matter printed by a Postage 
Evidencing System, whether within the boundaries of the indicia or 
outside the clear zone as defined in DMM 604.4.0 and the Intelligent 
Mail Indicia Performance Criteria (IMI-PC), is:
* * * * *

0
3. Amend Sec.  501.17 by adding paragraph (f) to read as follows:


Sec.  501.17   Decertified Postage Evidencing Systems.

* * * * *
    (f) Postage Evidencing Systems that do not comply with the then 
current Intelligent Mail Indicia Performance Criteria will be 
Decertified Postage Evidencing Systems on June 30, 2024. The withdrawal 
date for those systems will be December 31, 2024.

0
4. Amend Sec.  501.20 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:


Sec.  501.20   Discontinued Postage Evidencing Indicia.

* * * * *
    (b) Effective December 31, 2024 all Postage Evidencing Systems that 
do not to produce Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) for evidence of pre-
paid postage must be withdrawn from service. Non-IMI indicia, which are 
not compliant with the then-current version of the IMI-PC, will be 
decertified and may not be used as a valid form of postage evidence. 
These decertified indicia may not be

[[Page 78236]]

recognized as valid postage for use or refunds, after June 20, 2025.

Ruth Stevenson,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2020-26129 Filed 12-3-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P
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