As anyone who has read my past blogs on environmental issues knows, I believe that eliminating unsolicited direct marketing mail may help reduce the “annoyance factor” some mail recipients experience, but there’s no assurance that it will improve the environment.”

I have been concerned that if some of those individuals who stop receiving unsolicited mail get into their automobiles and buy an item at a retail store that they would ordered through a direct mail solicitation, the environment is worse off. Until I attended the recent Center for Research on Regulated Industries Conference, I did not have data to support my point. Now I do. (more…)

Having just finished attending the Conference on Research in Regulated Industries sponsored by Rutgers University and led by Dr. Michael Crew, I have been immersed in many presentations relating to many subjects, but one, in particular, caught my attention:

• What universal or public services do we expect of major communication media?

With respect to mail, postal services around the world all have a variety of what are called “universal service obligations.” They are expected to maintain a network that allows every citizen in their country to transact business, to deposit mail into collection boxes or at a conveniently-located post office, and to receive mail at a designated home or business address 5-6 days a week all year. Additionally, their governments expect them to subsidize charitable and educational organizations, to charge affordable and uniform prices for mail originating from individual citizens and to be large employers and anchors for rural communities. In the U.S., the Postal Service also absorbs an enforcement responsibility for obscene, offensive, and fraudulent material that gets sent through the mail. In recent years, Congress has deferred its payments to the Postal Service for the mandates imposed on the Postal Service to subsidize certain categories of mail and certain types of users, such as non-profits. (more…)