2/4/08-
Maryland proposes a statewide consumer protection bill against free papers. The proposed House Bill 357 comes after publishers failed to comply with consumer complaints to stop receiving deliveries.

International 2/1/08-
The European Parliament adopts the new Postal Directive, giving its final political approval to EU postal reform. This opens the EU postal markets to full competition.

US 2/1/08-
Philadelphia attorney Alan Kessler is elected chairman of the Postal Service^® Board of Governors and Charles W. Chesnutt is immortalized as part of the Black Heritage commemorative stamp series.

1/31/08-
The U.S. Postal Service^® announces mail volume down 3.0 percent for the first quarter of fiscal 2008. Declining mail volume is attributed to “disturbing trends” in the overall U.S. economy.

1/30/08-
Korea’s state-run post office will invest 175.4 billion won (US $185.5 million) in 2008 to improve its mailing system. The majority of the money will go toward system maintenance.

1/29/08-
The Postal Service^® announces Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) is now a permanent offering. For residents constantly on the move, mail is reshipped to them once a week for a fee.

1/28/08-
The U.S. Postal Service^® reports a $5.1 billion loss for the fiscal year of 2007. The loss is largely attributed to the impact of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006.

1/25/08-
2007 was the fastest growing year of China’s postal industry, with revenue up 16 percent. China hopes to have every village in the country with access to postal services by the end of 2008.

1/24/08-
Swiss Post International (SPI) has acquired the Swedish letters processing company IMS Europe AB. The takeover positions SPI as a key provider in the Swedish postal market, as they continue to expand.

1/23/08-
PostNet partners with the Canada Post by offering a complete selection of shipping services in their stores. No other business center in the country offers the new all-in-one service.

1/21/08-
The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service^® will meet in Washington, DC, Jan.29-30, to discuss a variety of items. The meeting is open to the public.

1/18/08-
The USPS^® announces two new shipping initiatives to grow its shipping business and revenue. This is the first postal action taken under the new pricing regulations.

1/17/08-
The FTC reveals that legal constraints put the USPS^® at a economic disadvantage, according to a report mandated by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.

1/16/08-
Effective January 14, the USPS^® now charges the First-Class Mail^® International rate to recover the cost of handling undeliverable-as-addressed items posted from abroad with a US return address.

1/10/08-
UPS plans to borrow $10 billion dollars to buy back stock to help fund expansion. The Atlanta-based company is currently $3 billion dollars in debt.

1/9/08-
Based on feedback from customers, the DMA has updated its online DMAChoice service. Taking effect immediately, changes include elimination of the $1 verification fee and opting out of mailing lists by brand.

1/8/08-
In observance of the Chinese New Year, the U.S. Postal Service^® will debut a new stamp series for the 12 different animals in the Chinese calendar. The series will continue through 2019.

1/7/08-
The DMA is now accepting nominations for its 2009 board of directors. The deadline for nominations is February 22.

1/03/08-
PRC seeks feedback on USPS^® annual compliance report for the fiscal year 2007. Comments are due by January 30, while reply comments are due on February 13.

1/02/08-
DMA updates its Mailing Preference Service (MPS) to better help consumers choose how and when they receive direct mail. The MPS revision is the DMA’s first step in 2008 to fight against the do-not-mail legislation.