Postal Regulatory Commission PRC

When the Postal Reorganization Act of August 12, 1970, turned the old Post Office Department into the self-supporting U.S. Postal Service, it also created a Postal Rate Commission to review postage rate changes. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, signed on December 20, 2006, renamed it the Postal Regulatory Commission and gave it stronger oversight powers. The Commission has five commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to six-year terms, no more than three from one party.

The PRC sets the rules for how the Postal Service may raise prices on market-dominant products such as first-class mail and marketing mail, which were long capped by the rate of inflation, and ensures that competitive products such as packages cover their costs and do not receive unfair subsidies. It reviews annual reports on whether the Postal Service met its legal obligations, issues advisory opinions on nationwide service changes, and hears complaints from mailers and the public. It cannot set the Postal Service's budget or manage its operations.

In 2020 the Commission allowed the Postal Service to raise market-dominant prices above inflation to address deep financial losses, and postage rose repeatedly in the years that followed, alongside a ten-year cost-cutting plan that slowed some delivery standards. Since 2025, proposals to privatize the Postal Service or move it under closer executive control have renewed debate over the Commission's role. Supporters of the price increases say they keep the Postal Service solvent without taxpayer money, while mailers, publishers, and many lawmakers say higher prices and slower service drive customers away.