(a) The Postal Service considers Postage Evidencing Systems and their respective infrastructure to be essential to the exercise of its specific powers to prescribe postage and provide evidence of payment of postage under 39 U.S.C. 404(a)(2) and (4).
(b) Due to the potential for adverse impact upon Postal Service revenue, the following activities may not be engaged in by any person or entity without prior, written approval of the Postal Service:
(1) Producing or distributing any Postage Evidencing System that generates U.S. postage.
(2) Repairing, distributing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, modifying, or destroying any component of a Postage Evidencing System that accounts for or authorizes the printing of U.S. postage.
(3) Owning or operating an infrastructure that maintains operating data for the production of U.S. postage, or accounts for U.S. postage purchased for distribution through a Postage Evidencing System.
(4) Owning or operating an infrastructure that maintains operating data that is used to facilitate registration with the Postal Service of customers of a Postage Evidencing System.
(c) Any person or entity seeking authorization to perform any activity described in paragraph (b) of this section, or to materially modify any activity previously approved by the Postal Service, must submit a request to the Postal Service in person or in writing. Decisions of the Postal Service upon such requests are effective only if in writing (including electronic mail).
(d) Approval shall be based upon satisfactory evidence of the applicant's integrity and financial responsibility, commitment to the security of the Postage Evidencing System, and a determination that disclosure to the applicant of Postal Service customer, financial, or other data of a commercial nature necessary to perform the function for which approval is sought would be appropriate and consistent with good business practices within the meaning of 39 U.S.C. 410(c)(2). The Postal Service may condition its approval upon the applicant's agreement to undertakings that would give the Postal Service appropriate assurance of the applicant's ability to meet its obligations under this section, including but not limited to the method and manner of performing certain financial, security, and servicing functions and the need to maintain sufficient financial reserves to guarantee uninterrupted performance of not less than 3 months of operation.
(e) Qualification and approval may be based upon additional conditions agreed to by the Postal Service and the applicant. The applicant is approved in writing to engage in the function(s) for which authorization was sought and approved.
(f) To the extent that any provider manufactures and/or distributes any PC Postage product through any authorized Postage Evidencing System, such provider must adhere to the requirements of these regulations.
(g) The Postal Service office responsible for administration of this part is the Office of Payment Technology (PT) or successor organization. All submissions to the Postal Service required or invited by this part are to be made to this office in person or via mail to 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Room 3500, Washington DC 20260-0004. [71 FR 65733, Nov. 9, 2006, as amended at 78 FR 44438, July 24, 2013]