Comments To Postal Regulatory Commission On Proposed Section 601 Regulations

The Lexington Institute appreciates the opportunity to comment about regulations being considered for Section 601, which describes instances when letters may be carried out of the mail, or when the letter monopoly does not apply to a mailpiece.

It is important to view this discussion in the broader context of recent trends in mail delivery, i.e., slowing service, and the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS’s) increased emphasis on package delivery as discussed in its 10-year strategic plan and elsewhere.

It is distressing that USPS is placing so little emphasis on assessing and evaluating ways to slow the decline in mail volumes, particularly as first-class mail remains its most profitable product. Hopefully that will change soon, and USPS will aggressively search for, and announce, ways to speed mail delivery. To read the full comments filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission, please click here.