Berkeley Councilman: Tax E-mail! Tax Each Gigabyte! → Re: The post office should cut costs

Rural users pay a fee for UPS/Fedex delivery services (on top of any applicable residential fee) .. why should USPS be treated any differently? Its a business just like UPS and Fedex are ... USPS is just burdened with more regulations/requirements/legislative whims than its competitors.

Realistically ... UPS and Fedex have conceded there is little/no money to be made in super rural areas ... if its rural enough your UPS/Fedex package gets delivered by USPS anyway.

Because they are government business. Their existence is legislated -- and they MUST serve 100% of US territories. UPS and Fedex are private, for-profit companies with investors and shareholders, and is free to serve whomever and where ever they wish.

If you remember DHL... there were LOTS of places in the US where they didn't run. They wouldn't deliver packages there at all -- no hand off, NOTHING. And UPS/Fedex do not hand off to USPS unless you pay for that service. (and you'll be told about it up-front.) [Newegg and Amazon use that service, even in serviced areas; I've had numerous USPS last-mile-deliveries to commercial locations in Raleigh, where their drivers have to go *anyway* for pickups and empty the drop box.]