Changes in old-time delivery system affect modern business

The post office is older than the United States itself, Ben Franklin having been appointed the first postmaster general by the Continental Congress in 1775.

In an ironic twist, however, struggles of one of America's oldest institutions is having an affect on some of our newest, high-tech industries.

The U.S. Postal Service, $3.8 billion in the red last year, is asking the Postal Regulatory Commission to allow it to eliminate Saturday delivery, something it has been considering for decades.

By way of full disclosure, eliminating Saturday delivery would mean a number of subscribers would get their weekend papers a day or more later than usual -- not something we're in favor of.

But many other businesses would be affected as well, such as the movie rental company Netflix, which would have to raise its rates in response to rising postal fees, which the USPS is also requesting. Plus, there would be no deliver of DVDs on Saturday for those who want to stay home and watch a movie that night.

The Postal Service has also been promoting its flat-rate service for shipping small items -- read: eBay sales and purchases -- but cutting Saturday delivery would undermine that by slowing delivery and hurting sales of rush items.

It's easy to compare the USPS to private delivery companies like UPS or Fedex, but private companies aren't required to deliver mail everywhere, even unprofitable remote sites, like the post office is, even though it's supposed to be an independent, self-supporting entity.

The post office isn't the only game in town for Netflix -- or the Gazette for that matter. Netflix customers with high-speed Internet can now rent movies on their computers, and paid subscribers to this newspapers have a free pass to read the entire print editition online via our electronic edition.

The same goes for every business that accepts electronic payments for bills they formerly received in the form of a check enclosed in a stamped envelope.

Elimination of Saturday delivery is likely to force more and more of us online, reducing the number of postage stamps we buy and putting USPS even farther in the red.

What do you think?

You can let your opinion be known to the Postal Regulatory Commission by logging onto www.prc.gov and clicking the "contact PRC" to access an online customer service form. Or, to participate more formally in the process and to file documents to be included in the online public record, you can click the "filing online" tab and follow instruction.

Or, if you'd like to make a point, you might even write them a letter at the Office of Public Affairs & Government Relations, 901 New York Avenue NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20268-0001; phone: (202) 789-6800, fax: (202) 789-6891