Our Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the use of Intelligent Mail barcodes [HTML] | [PDF] appears in today's Federal Register. The notice provides technical specifications for Intelligent Mail barcodes and describes our proposal to require them on automation letters and flats in January 2009.

Mailers will have two options:

•         “Full Service” Intelligent Mail.  Mailers apply unique Intelligent Mail barcodes to mailpieces, trays, sacks, and pallets and submit electronic mailing documentation.

•         “Basic” Intelligent Mail.  Mailers apply Intelligent Mail barcodes to mailpieces only.

We set up a special e-mail address at imb@usps.gov to receive your questions and comments through February 21.  For ease of publication, the graphics were removed from our Federal Register submission, but can be viewed in the version [PDF] we posted December 21 on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com.