United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee on Government Operations
To examine the Universal Postal Union (UPU) terminal dues rate setting structure and process to better understand the challenges facing the United States, the inequities that result from the current system, and opportunities for reform.
BACKGROUND:
Established in 1874, the UPU coordinates international postal policies and procedures in an effort to guarantee mail service around the world.
The UPU sets terminal dues, which are the fees that postal operators pay each other for the domestic delivery of inbound international mail.
The terminal dues system has fallen far short of its goal to achieve a system where the fees charged are roughly equal to the cost of delivery.
A 2014 Postal Regulatory Commission study found a number of market distortions that stem from the terminal dues structure; distortion that could create situations where it is cheaper to mail items from China to the United Sates, than within the same state.
WITNESSES AND TESTIMONIES
| Name | Title | Organization | Panel | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Honorable Robert Taub | Acting Chairman | Postal Regulatory Commission | ||
| Mr. Robert Faucher | Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs | United States Department of State | ||
| Mr. Randy Miskanic | Acting Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President | United States Postal Service | ||
| Ms. Nancy Sparks | Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs | FedEx Express | ||
| Mr. Paul Misener | Vice President for Global Public Policy | Amazon | ||
| Dr. David Williams | Inspector General | United States Postal Service |