Postal Rate Commission

6.0

Independent United States agency that recommends prices for mail services

proper noun

Formal

: Comisión de Tarifas Postales

The Postal Rate Commission reviewed the proposal to increase first-class mail prices.

Examples

The Postal Rate Commission plays an important role in ensuring fair postal rates nationwide.
Has the Postal Rate Commission published its latest report?
After months of analysis, the Postal Rate Commission issued its recommendations to Congress.
The Postal Rate Commission recommended a new pricing structure.
After months of analysis, the Postal Rate Commission issued its recommendations to Congress.
The Postal Rate Commission plays an important role in ensuring fair postal rates nationwide.
The Postal Rate Commission reviewed the proposal to increase first-class mail prices.

Surface Forms

Postal Rate Commission main

Morphology

postal + rate + commission

The meaning is directly compositional: 'postal' (mail-related) + 'rate' (price/tariff) + 'commission' (a formal committee) yields a committee/agency concerned with postal pricing. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer that this refers to a body that oversees or recommends postal rates, even if they wouldn’t know its exact legal status in the U.S.

Etymology

Postal Rate Commission is a name that gives a clear picture: Postal means mail, Rate means price, and Commission means a group that decides. Imagine a small group around a table choosing how much a letter or package should cost. That's why the name refers to a U.S. government group that suggests changes in mail 'prices'.