Faced with plummeting mail volume and increased use of online bill-paying and other transactions, the Postal Service announced proposed rate changes that could increase the price of a first-class stamp by 2 cents to 46 cents. The rate hike proposal also includes an 8 percent rate increase for magazine publishers and a 2 cent jump for postcards to 30 cents. The Postal Regulatory Commission must approve the recommended price changes, and the increases would not go into effect until January of 2011. The Affordable Mail Alliance,

The Affordable Mail Alliance, a coalition of more than 700 corporate and nonprofit mailers that together account for a majority of the mail sent in the U.S., is contesting the increase.