U.S. Postal Service: Information about Restrictions on Mailbox Access

摘要

This letter responds to the request for information to help the Subcommittee211u001eassess whether changes are needed to the law that essentially gives the U.S. 211u001ePostal Service exclusive access to mailboxes (18 U.S.C. 1725). The Postal Service 211u001ebelieves that this law, generally called the 'mailbox restriction', is needed to 211u001eprotect postal revenue, facilitate efficient and secure delivery of mail, and 211u001epromote the privacy of postal customers. Some major competitors of the Service 211u001ebelieve the mailbox restriction law should be repealed because, in their view, it 211u001eis unnecessary, unfair, and adversely affects their delivery operations. As the 211u001eSubcommitteed considers proposed postal reform legislation, which, among other 211u001ethings, includes a demonstration project to test relaxing the mailbox 211u001erestriction, the issue of mailbox access has become hotly debated, with little 211u001eempirical data available to support the arguments, pro or con. To assist the 211u001eSubcommittee in considering whether to test changes on the mailbox restriction, 211u001ewe agreed to obtain and provide information on (1) the purpose and history of the 211u001emailbox restriction; (2) current U.S. public attitudes toward the mailbox 211u001erestriction; (3) views of the U.S. Postal Service, competitors, major mailers, 211u001epostal labor organizations, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Postal Rate 211u001eCommission on the mailbox restriction; and (4) the experience of the United 211u001eStates and certain other countries regarding mail theft and the need for a 211u001emailbox restriction.