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Time Warner has given a proposal to regulators that will increase postage on periodicals. Independent publishers are fearing the worst. Publishers who deal with direct mailings, especially catalogs and magazines several times a year, will feel the heat of this hike immensely. In order to keep small local companies like Fantagraphics Books alive, we need to send our complaints to Congress.

Timeline:

May 2006: The USPS submitted an omnibus postal rate increase to the PRC. This rate increase proposal included a provision that would increase the periodical rate by 11.7 percent — a cost increase that was supposed to impact all publishers more or less equally.

February 2007: After a 10-month comment and testimony review period, the Postal Regulatory Commission released its 758-page recommended decision to the Postal Board of Governors. To the surprise of many, the PRC rejected the USPS planned periodical rate scheme, and replaced it with a scheme based on a complex proposal submitted by Time-Warner.

March 2007: The USPS allowed just 8 business days for formal responses to the 758 page February 26th recommendations. The recommended Time-Warner periodical proposal was so complex that smaller publishers couldn’t adequately assess how the rate change would impact their businesses. On March 19, the Postal Board of Governors issued the final decision, adopting the PRC’s February recommendations.

April 25, 2007: USPS deadline for the filing of comments on the implementing rules.

July 15, 2007: Without public action the change in the periodical rates goes into effect.

Freepress has a link to send your inquiries and complaints.