Holly Lubart, Author at News/Media Alliance

FTC to Hold Hearing on Proposed Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials

Holly Lubart — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:45:40 +0000

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold an informal hearing on its proposed rule banning fake reviews and testimonials on February 13 at 10 am ET. Three interested parties including the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Fake Review Watch, and a group of academic researchers will address issues raised during the rulemaking process. The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2023, advises marketers to stop using illicit review and endorsement practices, such as generating fake reviews, creating false celebrity testimonials, suppressing honest negative reviews, and paying for positive reviews, which the FTC believes deceives consumers. The proposed rule received over 100 comments. Given the rule’s focus on prohibitions on deceptive activities that take place on third-party platforms, the Alliance did not submit comments; however, we continue to monitor the proposal.

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Alliance Comments on USPS Annual Compliance Report

Holly Lubart — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 14:48:44 +0000

The News/Media Alliance submitted comments on the United States Postal Service’s Annual Compliance Report for Fiscal Year 2023 on January 30. The report emphasizes our concerns on Periodicals mail costs, prices, and service. The USPS cites inflation as a cause of its cost increases; however, inflation in FY 2023 was about 4 percent, while Periodicals costs that exceeded inflation nearly doubled that amount. The report also showed that flats processing concerns have worsened with productivity falling. The Alliance also re-iterated that holding the Postal Service accountable for controlling costs through a mechanism with meaningful consequences is necessary.

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FTC Holds Additional Hearings on Negative Option Rule

Holly Lubart — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 14:45:25 +0000

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held an informal hearing on proposed amendments to the Negative Option Rule regarding subscriptions and recurring payments, including a “click to cancel” provision on January 16. The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) scheduled an additional hearing on disputed issues of material fact, which was held on January 31. The Alliance joined a stakeholder letter raising concerns. The ALJ scheduled another hearing on February 14. The Alliance will continue to monitor this issue and keep you apprised of developments.

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Congressional Letter Asks for Pause on Postal Increases

Holly Lubart — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 21:09:53 +0000

Congressmen Emanuel Cleaver and Sam Graves, along with 17 other cosigners, sent a letter to the Postal Board of Governors on January 19 asking the USPS to pause future rate increases. The letter expresses concern on the negative impact the rate increases are having on mail customers. In addition, the letter raises concerns about the service problems many members of Congress have raised with the USPS in the last year. Last September, Congressmen Gerry Connolly and Jake LaTurner sent a letter and the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, of which The Alliance is a member, sent a letter last June. The Alliance continues to raise concerns with the Postal Service, Postal Regulatory Commission, USPS Office of Inspector General and others on these alarming rate increases.

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USPS Market Dominant Price Increases Take Effect on January 21

Holly Lubart — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 21:51:48 +0000

As a reminder, the Market Dominant Price Increases go into effect on January 21. View the USPS webinar, “Market Dominant Price Change” to learn more.

In the PRC order approving the rate hikes, it states “the Commission shares The News/Media Alliance’s concerns about Periodicals’ costs and continues to encourage the Postal Service to take steps to address them.”

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Alliances Files Comments on Rural Carrier Costs

Holly Lubart — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 21:41:43 +0000

The News/Media Alliance submitted comments on the Postal Service’s proposal to change the methodology for calculating rural carrier attributable costs. The Alliance supports the use of data from its news Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System, which should reduce Periodicals costs by approximately 1 cent per piece (3 percent).

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Alliance Files Additional Comments on USPS Mail Processing Plan

Holly Lubart — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 21:35:03 +0000

The News/Media Alliance submitted additional comments on the Postal Service’s Flats Plan on January 12 following the Postal Regulatory Commission’s (PRC) Order 6803 approving our motion. The PRC identified multiple causes of inefficiencies in the collection, sorting, transportation, and delivery of flats and provided eight recommendations. The USPS plan lacks both details and analytical support needed to evaluate the plan and determine whether it addresses the inefficiencies. The Alliance encouraged the PRC to continue asking probing questions to flesh out implementation details of the plan’s initiatives and to continue evaluating whether the initiatives will have the beneficial impacts claimed by USPS. In addition, the Alliance stated that the Postal Service must be held accountable through additional enforcement.

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Alliance Partner to Receive Excellence Award

Holly Lubart — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:43:55 +0000

Women in Logistics and Delivery Services (WILDS) announced it will present the third Megan J. Brennan Award for Excellence to Kate Muth, Executive Director International Mailers Advisory Group (IMAG), at a meeting to be held on January 25, 2024. The award, named after the seventy-fourth Postmaster General of the United States, and the only woman to hold that office, recognizes appreciation for employees of an organization, the ability to work collaboratively, and the ability to look at problems and opportunities holistically. Muth started her career as a respected editor and journalist with awards from Newsletter Publishers Association and the National Press Club. The Alliance belongs to WILDS and works closely with a wide variety of stakeholders on postal issues. WILDS is a nonprofit organization created to promote women’s leadership in the postal, delivery and logistics industries and to address the challenges women and minorities regularly face in these industries. Read the full release here.

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Department of Labor Announces Final Rule on Independent Contractors

Holly Lubart — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 19:06:59 +0000

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule on January 9 revising its interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) classification provision to determine whether a worker may be considered an independent contractor. The rule will require that workers be considered employees rather than contractors when they are “economically dependent” on a company. The final rule rescinds the 2021 Independent Contractor Rule and replaces it. It largely mirrors the agency’s October 2022 proposed rule, adopting a six-factor, “totality-of-the-circumstances” framework for analyzing worker-employer relationships.

The DOL will consider six factors when examining the relationship between a worker and a potential employer:

Worker’s opportunity for profit or loss.
Investments made by the worker and the employer.
Degree of permanence of the work relationship.
Nature and degree of control over performance of the work.
Extent to which the work performed is an integral part of the employer’s business.
Use of the worker’s skill and initiative.

The rule will be published in the Federal Register on January 10, and will take effect March 11. The Alliance filed comments on the proposed rule on December 13, 2022.

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News/Media Alliance Joins Stakeholder Letter on FTC Process for Negative Option Rule

Holly Lubart — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 17:18:25 +0000

The News/Media Alliance joined 20 other associations in a letter on December 22 outlining concerns with the process the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established to solicit public feedback on its proposed amendments to the Negative Option Rule regarding subscriptions and recurring payments, including a “click to cancel” provision. In addition, the organizations request the Commission to withdraw its Final Informal Hearing notice, which is scheduled for January 16, and issue an initial hearing notice consistent with previous rulemakings and federal law. This will provide an opportunity for interested parties to participate in an informal hearing as well as to petition the Presiding Officer to consider disputed issues of material fact. The Alliance will keep you apprised of developments.

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