United States General Accounting Office

GAO Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee

on the Postal Service, Committee on

Government Reform and Oversight,

House of Representatives

May 1997 U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Information About

Restrictions on

Mailbox Access

GAO/GGD-97-85

GAO United States

General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

General Government Division

B-272447 

May 30, 1997

The Honorable John M. McHugh

Chairman, Subcommittee on the Postal Service

Committee on Government Reform and Oversight

House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Chairman:

This letter responds to your request for information to help the

Subcommittee assess whether changes are needed to the law that

essentially gives the U.S. Postal Service exclusive access to mailboxes (18

U.S.C. 1725). The Postal Service believes that this law, generally called the

“mailbox restriction,” is needed to protect postal revenue, facilitate

efficient and secure delivery of mail, and promote the privacy of postal

customers. Some major competitors of the Service believe the mailbox

restriction law should be repealed because, in their view, it is unnecessary,

unfair, and adversely affects their delivery operations. As the

Subcommittee considers proposed postal reform legislation,1

 which,

among other things, includes a demonstration project to test relaxing the

mailbox restriction, the issue of mailbox access has become hotly debated,

with little empirical data available to support the arguments, pro or con.

To assist the Subcommittee in considering whether to test changes to the

mailbox restriction, we agreed to obtain and provide information on

(1) the purpose and history of the mailbox restriction; (2) current U.S.

public attitudes toward the mailbox restriction; (3) views of the U.S. Postal

Service, competitors, major mailers, postal labor organizations, the U.S.

Department of Justice, and the Postal Rate Commission on the mailbox

restriction; and (4) the experience of the United States and certain other

countries regarding mail theft and the need for a mailbox restriction.

To address the above objectives, among other methods, we contracted for

a national survey of 1,013 randomly selected adults (18 and older), which

achieved a 65 percent response rate and can be generalized to all adults in

the continental United States.2

 We also used a 1-page questionnaire to

survey 59 selected domestic organizations, including the U.S. Postal

Service, competitors, major mailers, postal labor organizations, the U.S.

Department of Justice, and the Postal Rate Commission, and obtained 41

written responses. We gave a more extensive questionnaire to eight

1

Postal Reform Act of 1997, H.R. 22, 105th Cong. (1997).

2

The overall results were surrounded by 95 percent confidence intervals of plus or minus 4 percent or

less.

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selected foreign postal administrations and received written responses

from all of them.

Results in Brief Congress adopted the mailbox restriction in 1934 to protect postal revenue

by preventing delivery of unstamped matter to mailboxes, which

reportedly was having a considerable impact on postal revenues. The U.S.

Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the mailbox restriction in

1981. Civic groups, which had delivered unstamped material regarding

their activities to mailboxes, claimed that the mailbox restriction abridged

their First Amendment rights to free speech and the press. The Court

denied the groups’ claim, ruling that the law and enforcement actions were

not geared in any way to the content of the message placed in mailboxes.

The Court also found that mailboxes are an essential part of national mail

delivery and that postal customers agree to abide by laws and regulations

that apply to their mailboxes in exchange for the Postal Service agreeing

to deliver and pick up mail in them.3

On the basis of our national survey, we estimated that the vast majority of

adults (82 percent) are opposed to allowing just anyone to put mail into

their mailboxes.4

 However, views differed regarding the desirability of

mailbox access for particular companies or particular items. For example,

58 percent favored allowing express mail companies, e.g., Federal Express

and United Parcel Service (UPS), to put packages into mailboxes. Fewer

adults favored allowing companies to leave other types of items in

mailboxes, such as utility bills (48 percent); magazines or newspapers

(38 percent); and catalogs, coupons, or ads (29 percent). Sixty-six percent

of adults reported their households receive most of their mail in mailboxes

without locks. If there were neither the mailbox restriction nor regulatory

restrictions, these mailboxes would be legally and practically accessible to

private delivery companies or others with respect to delivery of items not

covered by the Postal Service’s letter mail monopoly.

Postal stakeholders expressed mixed views about the need for the

mailbox restriction. The Postal Service, the seven major postal labor

unions and management associations, and a contractors’ association said

that the mailbox restriction should remain unchanged. The Service said it

protects postal revenue, facilitates the efficient and secure delivery of

mail, and promotes the privacy of postal customers. The seven major

3

U.S. Postal Service v. Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, 453 U.S. 114 (1981).

4

Views on mailbox access were about the same for all adults surveyed as for the 87 percent of adults

who said their households get most of their mail in mailboxes.

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postal labor unions and management associations and a contractors’

association gave similar reasons, saying that the restriction ensures mail

security and privacy, among other things. The Justice Department also

opposed any relaxation, saying the restriction deters the distribution of

sexually explicit materials to mailboxes because certain laws and

regulations governing the distribution of such materials5

 apply only to mail

delivered by the Postal Service and would not apply to others if they were

allowed to deliver material to mailboxes.

In contrast, the Service’s competitors generally said the restriction should

be repealed or modified because it is unnecessary, impedes competition,

and infringes on private property. A majority of mailer groups and mailers

that responded favored retaining the restriction but others had varying

views about the extent to which the restriction should be changed.

Although the Postal Inspection Service—which is responsible for

enforcing postal laws—had no data on the number of mail thefts from

mailboxes, Inspection Service officials said that mail theft from mailboxes

is a very serious problem in the United States. Six of the eight foreign

postal administrations we surveyed reported minor or no problems with

mail theft from mailboxes in their countries. Like the Postal Service, the

eight foreign postal administrations also did not have data on the number

of mail thefts from mailboxes. However, two factors apparently contribute

to the better mailbox security reported by most of the eight foreign postal

administrations we surveyed: (1) the mix of residential mail receptacles

was different from the mix in the United States, with the postal

administrations of two foreign countries reporting that the majority of

their residential customers use mail slots in doors or walls instead of

mailboxes and another foreign postal administration reporting that its

residential customers are more likely to use locked mailboxes; and

(2) seven foreign postal administrations reported that they generally do

not collect outgoing mail from residential customers’ mailboxes.

Officials of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the mailbox restriction

helps deter mail theft and makes it easier to detect, investigate, and

resolve cases of mail theft from mailboxes. The eight foreign postal

administrations we surveyed said that they do not have mailbox restriction

laws, have never had exclusive access, and did not believe that they

needed it. Five foreign postal administrations said that exclusive mailbox

access would be inconsistent with the concept of fair competition in their

countries.

5

39 U.S.C. 3008 and 3010 and Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) C032 and C033.

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Background In 1934, Congress enacted a law known as the “mailbox restriction” that

prohibits anyone from placing mailable matter without postage into any

mailbox. This law, 18 U.S.C. 1725, gives the Postal Service a virtual

monopoly over mailboxes and currently reads as follows:

“Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits any mailable matter such as statements of

accounts, circulars, sale bills, or other like matter, on which no postage has been paid, in

any letter box established, approved, or accepted by the Postal Service for the receipt or

delivery of mail matter on any mail route with intent to avoid payment of lawful postage

thereon, shall for each such offense be fined under this title.”

Under current law, a violation of the mailbox restriction law is an

infraction that can be punished by a fine but not by imprisonment. The

maximum fine for each offense is $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for

organizations.6

In addition to the mailbox restriction law, Postal Service regulations

provide that “every letterbox or other receptacle intended or used for the

receipt or delivery of mail” may be used only for matter bearing postage

and that any mailable matter found in mailboxes without postage is

subject to payment of the same postage as if it had been carried by mail.7

Postal Service regulations are broader than the mailbox restriction law.

The regulations restrict items placed upon, supported by, attached to,

hung from, or inserted into a mailbox.8

 However, the regulations do not

apply to door slots, among other things.9

The Postal Inspection Service is responsible for enforcing postal laws,

including the mailbox restriction. The Inspection Service has maintained

that because the mailbox restriction limits access to mailboxes to the

Service and the customer, it helps deter mail theft and helps the Inspection

Service enforce postal laws against mail theft. Because the Inspection

Service believes that the mailbox restriction is relevant to its

6

18 U.S.C. 3559 and 3571.

7

DMM D041.1.1, D041.1.3, and P011.2.2.

8

DMM D041.1.3.

9

Exemptions allow (1) mailable matter to be left without postage in door slots and nonlockable bins or

troughs used with apartment house mailboxes; (2) mailable matter to be left without postage on a

hook or ring attached to the post or other support for the mailbox; and (3) unstamped delivery of

newspapers that are regularly mailed second-class to curbside mailboxes on Sundays and national

holidays, if they are removed before the next scheduled day of mail delivery. See DMM D041.1.2,

D041.2.10, and Rockville Reminder, Inc. v. United States Postal Service, 480 F.2d. 4 (1973).

Page 4 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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investigations of mail theft, obstruction of mail, and mail fraud, these laws

are discussed below.

Federal laws prohibit mail theft, obstruction of mail, and mail fraud. Theft

of U.S. mail is a federal criminal offense punishable by fine and/or

imprisonment under two federal laws: (1) 18 U.S.C. 1708 makes it a crime

for anyone to steal U.S. mail or unlawfully possess stolen U.S. mail; and

(2) 18 U.S.C. 1709 makes it a crime for Postal Service employees to steal

U.S. mail. Obstruction of U.S. mail is also a criminal offense under two

federal laws: (1) 18 U.S.C. 1701 makes it a crime for anyone to knowingly

and willfully obstruct or retard the passage of U.S. mail; and (2) 18 U.S.C.

1702 specifically prohibits anyone from taking U.S. mail from post offices,

mailboxes, and letter carriers before delivery to the addressee with the

intent to obstruct the correspondence or pry into the business of another.

Mail fraud is prohibited by a federal law, 18 U.S.C. 1341, which makes it a

criminal offense for anyone to use the U.S. mail in any scheme of fraud.

In addition, federal laws govern the distribution of sexually oriented

advertisements through the U.S. mail, which may be distributed to

mailboxes.10 These laws, and the postal regulations that implement them,11

enable postal customers to request that (1) they be added to lists of

customers who should not receive sexually explicit advertisements

through the U.S. mail and/or (2) the Service issue a prohibitory order

directing a particular mailer to refrain from making further mailings to that

addressee. These laws and regulations also establish packaging and

labeling requirements for U.S. mail that contains sexually explicit material.

The U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for prosecutions of

violations of postal related laws. U.S. Attorneys’ offices, which are part of

the Justice Department, have the responsibility for prosecuting these

cases. The U.S. Attorneys’ offices work with the Postal Inspection Service

and other law enforcement authorities who are involved in these cases.

The Postal Service Glossary of postal terms defines a mailbox as “any

receptacle or container used by customers to receive mail at their

residence either by door-to-door or by curbside delivery.” Widespread use

of mailboxes began in the 1890s, and today the Postal Service deposits

mail for most residential customers in mailboxes purchased and installed

by the customers. The Service also collects outgoing mail from most

1039 U.S.C. 3008 and 3010.

11DMM C032 and C033.

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mailboxes. Curbside mailboxes generally have a flag that can be raised to

notify the letter carrier that outgoing mail has been left for collection.

Even if there were no statutory restrictions on mailbox access, locked

apartment mailboxes, cluster mailboxes, and U.S. post office boxes as they

are currently used would generally not be accessible to private delivery

companies. As a practical matter, only the Postal Service and the postal

customer are currently supposed to have keys to these receptacles, which

do not have slots for incoming mail. Figure 1 illustrates different types of

mailboxes, door slots, and U.S. post office boxes.

Page 6 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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Page 7 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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Figure 1: Mailboxes, Door Slots, and Post Office Boxes Used in the United States

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Source: Photographs by the U.S. Postal Service and GAO.

Page 9 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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The Postal Service does not have complete data available on the total

number of residential mailboxes. However, available Postal Service

information shows residential delivery to approximately 42 million

curbside mailboxes; 10 million cluster boxes; 17 million post office boxes;

17 million centralized residential delivery points, such as apartment house

mailboxes, delivery centers, or mailroom receptacles; and 34 million other

residential delivery points, such as mailboxes attached to houses,

mailboxes behind the sidewalk, and door slots. Some postal customers

with U.S. post office boxes may receive some mail at their residences and

some mail at their post office boxes.

As we reported in September 1996, the mailbox restriction is related to the

Service’s monopoly over the delivery of letter mail.12 We said that if the

Private Express Statutes13 were relaxed, retaining the mailbox restriction

would help shield the Postal Service from private competition for

First-Class letters because mailers wish to safeguard bills and other mail

with personal or confidential information. However, we also reported that

if the Private Express Statutes were relaxed, the mailbox restriction would

be less likely to shield the Service from competition for Priority Mail and

heavyweight First-Class mail. This mail is typically delivered to businesses

and often is too large to fit in residential mailboxes. In addition, the five

principal national carriers of U.S. domestic expedited and parcel mail

often rely on a signature for delivery. We reported that these national

carriers generally did not see lack of mailbox access as a barrier to

pursuing increases in their shares of these markets. However, if Congress

allows more private letter delivery, the mailbox restriction may become

more important because the firms might find the use of mailboxes

desirable to improve competitiveness.

We testified in January 1996 on eight foreign countries that operate

without laws comparable to the mailbox restriction.14 These countries

were Australia, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand,

Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Private delivery companies in these

countries can deliver advertising and other items not covered by their

letter mail monopolies by depositing material into mailboxes without

12Postal Service Reform: Issues Relevant to Changing Restrictions on Private Letter Delivery

(GAO/GGD-96-129A/B, Sept. 12, 1996).

13The Private Express Statutes are a set of criminal and civil laws (18 U.S.C. 1693-1699 and 39 U.S.C.

601-606) that established the Service’s monopoly restricting the private delivery of letter mail.

14U.S. Postal Service: A Look at Other Countries’ Postal Reform Efforts (GAO/T-GGD-96-60, Jan. 25,

1996).

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locks, into locked mailboxes with slots for receiving mail, or into mail

slots in doors or walls.

In recent years, some of the Service’s main competitors and some critics

of its letter mail monopoly have called for repeal of the mailbox

restriction. In June 1996, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Postal

Service, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight,

introduced legislation to reform the Postal Service (H.R. 3717) that

included testing changes to the mailbox restriction. The Chairman cited

the experiences of foreign countries that do not have statutory mailbox

restrictions as a key reason to test relaxing the mailbox restriction. The

bill would have created a demonstration project to test relaxing the

mailbox restriction in certain areas for 3 years. The Subcommittee held

four hearings on the bill and received a number of comments on the

proposed mailbox demonstration project, both pro and con. The bill was

not reported out of the Subcommittee during the 104th Congress.

However, in January 1997, the Chairman introduced H.R. 22, a similar bill

that proposed the same mailbox demonstration project.

Scope and

Methodology

To determine the purpose and history of the mailbox restriction, we

reviewed relevant documents, including the current law, the House and

Senate reports submitted in support of the law when it was passed in 1934,

the 1981 U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld its constitutionality, and

current Postal Service regulations that restrict access to mailboxes.

To determine current public attitudes toward the mailbox restriction, we

developed survey questions and contracted with the University of

Maryland’s Survey Research Center to conduct a national telephone

survey. A total of 1,013 randomly selected adults (18 and older) in the

continental United States were interviewed between August 12 and

October 14, 1996. The survey results are representative of all adults in the

continental United States, and the overall results were surrounded by

95 percent confidence intervals of plus or minus 4 percent or less.

Appendix I describes the survey methodology more fully, and appendix II

gives the responses to each survey question.

To obtain the views of key stakeholders on the mailbox restriction, we

used a 1-page questionnaire to survey 59 selected domestic organizations,

including (1) the Postal Service; (2) the 5 national expedited mail and

parcel delivery firms the Service has identified as its principal competitors

and an association that represents expedited mail and parcel delivery

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firms; (3) 14 alternate delivery firms and alliances, which we judgmentally

selected to obtain a range of company sizes, geographic locations,

companies in areas with different population levels, and both

newspaper-owned firms and other firms; (4) 28 mailer groups and mailers,

which we judgmentally selected to obtain the views of mailing industry

trade associations and mailers that represent those who send significant

volumes of mail, and mailer groups and mailers in the credit card,

financial, and insurance industries; (5) 7 major postal labor unions and

management associations and an association that represents contractors

who transport and deliver U.S. mail; (6) the Justice Department; and

(7) the Postal Rate Commission. We received a total of 41 written

responses. Results based on responses from national expedited mail and

parcel delivery firms, alternate delivery firms and alliances, and mailer

groups and mailers are not generalizable to all such organizations. See

appendix I for more detail.

To provide information on the experience of the United States and certain

other countries regarding mail theft and the need for a mailbox restriction,

we obtained information from the U.S. Postal Service and eight selected

foreign postal administrations. We interviewed U.S. Postal Inspection

Service headquarters officials who oversee enforcement of postal laws.

They provided written responses to our questions, and we reviewed the

relevant documents they submitted. We also obtained documentation of

Service policies regarding delivery of mail to mailboxes and relevant data

from Service headquarters officials. In addition, we gave questionnaires to

postal administrations in eight foreign countries that do not have laws

restricting mailbox access: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, The

Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. We received

written responses from all eight foreign postal administrations.

Information in this report on mailbox security is primarily based on

information provided by the Postal Inspection Service and the eight

foreign postal administrations. We did not independently verify this

information, evaluate the effectiveness of open access to mailboxes in the

eight foreign countries, or reach an independent judgment on whether

theft of mail from mailboxes is a problem in the United States or the eight

foreign countries. See appendix I for more detail on our objectives, scope,

and methodology.

We did our audit work in Washington, D.C., and Dallas, Texas, from June

1996 through February 1997 in accordance with generally accepted

government auditing standards.

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We requested comments on a draft of this report from the Postmaster

General. The Postal Service’s comments are discussed in this letter,

summarized at the end of this letter, and reprinted in appendix V. We also

arranged for the eight foreign postal administrations to review relevant

sections of this report. We incorporated their technical comments to

improve the accuracy of the report where appropriate.

Purpose and History

of the Mailbox

Restriction

Congress enacted the statutory mailbox restriction in 1934 to protect the

former U.S. Post Office Department’s15 revenue and keep unstamped

matter out of mailboxes. The law was intended to stop businesses from

delivering or using private carriers to deliver mailable matter to mailboxes

without paying postage, which reportedly deprived the former Post Office

Department of considerable revenue. In 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court

upheld the constitutionality of the law. It had been challenged by an

umbrella organization for a number of civic groups that delivered

unstamped notices and pamphlets to mailboxes. The Court ruled against

the groups’ claim that the law abridged their rights to freedom of speech

and press under the First Amendment, because the law was not geared to

the content of items left in mailboxes. The Court also found that

mailboxes are an essential part of national mail delivery and that postal

customers agree to abide by laws and regulations that apply to their

mailboxes in exchange for the Postal Service agreeing to deliver and pick

up mail in them.

Congress Adopted the

Mailbox Restriction in 1934

to Protect Revenues and

Keep Unstamped Matter

Out of Mailboxes

Congress enacted the 1934 statute, according to Senate and House reports,

to protect the former U.S. Post Office Department’s revenue and prevent

unstamped matter from being placed in mailboxes.16 The reports said that

the law was intended to curb the practice of persons other than postal

employees depositing mail in mailboxes without paying postage by making

it a criminal offense. Businesses, particularly utility companies, reportedly

were delivering or using private carriers to deliver circulars and

statements of accounts in mailboxes without postage. The reports said

that these practices deprived the former Post Office Department of

considerable revenue. The reports also noted that the stuffing of

mailboxes with unstamped matter was a source of considerable

annoyance to the Post Office Department.

15The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-375) reorganized the U.S. Post Office Department into

the U.S. Postal Service.

16S. Rep. No. 73-742 at 1-2 (1934) and H.R. Rep. No. 73-709 at 1-2 (1934).

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The Constitutionality of

the Mailbox Restriction

Was Upheld in 1981

In 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law

restricting mailbox access.17 The statute was challenged by an umbrella

organization for a number of civic groups that delivered unstamped

notices and pamphlets to mailboxes. The Court denied the groups’ claim

that the law abridged their rights to freedom of speech and press under the

First Amendment because the statute and enforcement actions were not

geared in any way to the content of the message placed in mailboxes. In its

ruling, the Court found that mailboxes are an essential part of the Postal

Service’s nationwide system for the delivery and receipt of mail and that

although mailboxes are privately owned, the postal customer implicitly

agrees to abide by statutory and regulatory restrictions that apply to the

mailbox in exchange for the Service agreeing to deliver and pick up mail in

it.

During litigation of the case, the Service offered a number of justifications

for the mailbox restriction in addition to protecting postal revenue and

reducing unstamped matter left in mailboxes. The Service said the mailbox

restriction aided investigations of mail theft by enabling investigators to

assume that anyone other than a letter carrier or the postal customer who

opens a mailbox may be stealing mail. For example, the Service said the

restriction helped it to investigate thefts of government benefit checks

from mailboxes. Moreover, the Service said that if civic associations but

not others could leave circulars in mailboxes, letter carriers would have to

remove and examine individual unstamped items to determine their

legality. The Service said that if the mailbox restriction were eliminated or

if civic groups could leave items in mailboxes, letter carriers would be

confronted with a larger amount of unstamped mailable matter that they

would be obliged to separate from outgoing mail. According to the Service,

these additional activities by letter carriers would add substantially to the

daily cost of mail delivery. The Service also said that the restriction

protects the privacy interests of postal customers by giving them a way to

send and receive mail without their correspondence becoming known to

other members of the community.

17U.S. Postal Service v. Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, 453 U.S. 114 (1981).

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Views on Mailbox

Access Depended on

Who Would Be Given

Access and What

Would Be Delivered

Views on mailbox access expressed in our national survey varied

depending on who would be given access to the mailbox and what

materials they would leave in the mailbox.18 The vast majority of adults

(82 percent) opposed allowing “any individual person” to put mail in their

mailboxes. In contrast, 58 percent favored allowing “express mail

companies like Federal Express or UPS [United Parcel Service]” to leave

packages in their mailboxes, “if they are small enough to fit.” Opinions

were about evenly divided over whether the “electric, gas, or water

company” should be allowed to put bills inside mailboxes, with 48 percent

in favor and 44 percent opposed. Conversely, 54 percent opposed and

38 percent favored allowing companies to put subscription magazines or

newspapers inside their mailboxes. Sixty-six percent opposed and

29 percent favored allowing companies to put “catalogs, coupons, or ads”

inside their mailboxes (see fig. 2).

18Eighty-three percent of adults said that they are aware that only the Postal Service leaves mail in

their mailboxes, which is the intended effect of the mailbox restriction.

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Figure 2: Views of Adults Differed on Allowing Any Individual or Certain Types of Companies to Leave Mail in Mailboxes

0

20

40

60

80

100

58

48

38

29

14

35

44

54

66

82

Express mail

companies such as

Federal Express or UPS

Electric, gas, or

 water company

Companies leaving

magazines or

newspapers

Companies leaving

catalogs, coupons,

or ads

Any individual

Percent of adults

Organizations/individuals having access

Favor

Oppose

Note: Percentages do not add to 100 percent because volunteered responses such as “no

opinion” are not shown.

Source: GAO survey.

In addition, strong support and opposition to expanded mailbox access

varied depending on who would put items in the mailbox and what they

would deliver. Fifty-nine percent said they strongly opposed allowing any

individual to put mail into their mailboxes, while only 2 percent said they

strongly favored such access. Also, 40 percent said they strongly opposed

allowing companies to put catalogs, coupons, or ads inside their

mailboxes; 7 percent strongly favored it. In contrast, 15 percent said they

strongly opposed allowing express mail companies to put packages inside

their mailboxes; similarly, 19 percent strongly favored it. This was the only

question on mailbox access for which about as many adults expressed

strong support as strong opposition.

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Not only did adults in general distinguish between who should have

mailbox access and for what items, but certain subgroups identified in our

survey tended to hold views different from others. For example, adults

with more formal education were more likely to support allowing express

mail companies access to the mailbox. Fifty-five percent of those with a

high school education or less, 60 percent with some college education, and

69 percent of college graduates said that express mail companies should

be allowed to leave packages in their mailboxes. In contrast, adults with

more formal education were more likely to oppose allowing companies to

put catalogs, coupons, or ads in their mailboxes. Sixty percent of those

with a high school education or less opposed allowing companies to put

such matter into their mailboxes, compared to 71 percent of those with

some college education and 75 percent of college graduates. The Postal

Service’s latest Household Diary Study on mail received by households

found that households headed by adults with more formal education

received more pieces of advertising mail and tended to make more mail

order purchases.19

Moreover, adults using mailboxes without locks were more likely to favor

allowing some others access to their mailboxes, compared to adults with

locked mailboxes.20 For example, 53 percent of those using mailboxes

without locks favored allowing utility companies to put bills in their

mailboxes, compared to 30 percent of those with locked mailboxes.

Forty-four percent of those using mailboxes without locks favored

allowing companies to put magazines or newspapers inside their

mailboxes, compared to 18 percent of those with locked mailboxes.

Seventeen percent of those using mailboxes without locks favored

allowing any individual to put mail in their mailboxes, compared to

5 percent of those with locked mailboxes.

When Asked to Choose,

Adults Generally Preferred

Mailbox Access Only by

the Postal Service

When asked to sum up their views on mailbox access by choosing which

of two general statements came closest to their views, 61 percent said that

“only the U.S. Postal Service should put mail inside mailboxes”; 32 percent

said that “some companies should also be allowed to put mail inside

mailboxes” (see fig. 3).

19The Household Diary Study, Fiscal Year 1995, U.S. Postal Service, Finance (Washington, D.C.: U.S.

Postal Service, Nov. 1996), pp. III-16, III-22, VI-163, VI-165.

20Results for adults using locked mailboxes and mailboxes without locks were based on adults who

said their households get most of their mail in curbside mailboxes, mailboxes attached to their houses,

a cluster of mailboxes near their homes, or apartment house mailboxes.

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Figure 3: When Asked to Choose,

Adults Generally Favored Limiting

Mailbox Access to the Postal Service

61% • Only the U.S. Postal Service

should put mail in mailboxes

•32%

Some companies should be

allowed to put mail in mailboxes

•

4%

Agree with both statements

equally

2%

It depends/Agree with neither

statement

2%

No opinion

Note: Adults were asked which of two statements came closest to their own views. Percentages

do not add to 100 percent because of rounding.

Source: GAO survey.

The results of this general question were not necessarily consistent with

other, more specific questions on mailbox access because (1) adults were

asked to “sum up your views” by giving a single response to one question;

and (2) adults were asked to choose the response that came closest to

their views, even if it did not match their views for each of the specific

questions on mailbox access. Adults in our national survey held a range of

Page 18 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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views on mailbox access, so no single question should be used as the sole

measure of public opinion on the subject. In response to specific survey

questions, adults generally indicated that their views on mailbox access

depended on whether the mailbox access was limited to particular

companies or items.

Two-Thirds of Adults

Received Mail in Mailboxes

Without Locks

Two-thirds (66 percent) of adults we surveyed reported that their

households get most of their mail in mailboxes without locks. If there

were neither the mailbox restriction nor regulatory restrictions, mailboxes

without locks would be legally and practically accessible to private

delivery companies or others with respect to delivery of items not covered

by the Postal Service’s letter mail monopoly.

Our survey asked adults two questions to determine whether their

households use mailboxes without locks. First, the survey asked adults

how their households get most of their mail. A total of 87 percent said that

their households get most of their mail in either curbside mailboxes

(42 percent), mailboxes attached to their houses (25 percent), in a cluster

of mailboxes near their homes (11 percent), or in apartment house

mailboxes (10 percent).21 The other 13 percent said their households get

most of their mail either at U.S. post offices (8 percent), through door slots

(4 percent), or in some other way (1 percent).

Second, our survey asked, “is there a lock on your mailbox, or not?” (This

question was asked of the 87 percent who had said their households get

most of their mail in either curbside mailboxes, mailboxes attached to

their houses, a cluster of mailboxes near their homes, or apartment house

mailboxes.) In response, 66 percent of all adults in our national survey

said their households get most of their mail in mailboxes without locks;

21 percent said their mailboxes are locked. As described above, the other

13 percent said their households get most of their mail either at U.S. post

offices (8 percent), through door slots (4 percent), or some other way

(1 percent).

Another question asked adults how concerned they were that mail could

be stolen out of their households’ mailboxes (i.e, curbside mailboxes,

mailboxes attached to their houses, a cluster of mailboxes near their

homes, or apartment house mailboxes). Twenty-five percent of all adults

in our national survey said that they were either “very concerned”

(10 percent) or “somewhat concerned” (15 percent) that mail could be

21Percentages of each type of mailbox do not add to 87 percent because of rounding.

Page 19 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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stolen out of their households’ mailboxes. Thirty percent said they were

“not very concerned,” and 31 percent said they were “not at all

concerned.”22

The survey also asked adults how often they left outgoing mail in their

households’ mailboxes (i.e, curbside mailboxes, mailboxes attached to

their houses, a cluster of mailboxes near their homes, or apartment house

mailboxes). Sixteen percent of all adults in our survey said their

households generally leave outgoing “letters or bills” in their mailboxes

“all of the time,” 11 percent said they leave outgoing mail in their

mailboxes “most of the time,” and 13 percent said they leave outgoing mail

in their mailboxes “some of the time.” The Postal Service has said that it

can collect outgoing mail from mailboxes more efficiently because the

mailbox restriction prevents others from leaving items in mailboxes.

Stakeholders Had

Mixed Views on the

Need for the Mailbox

Restriction

Postal stakeholders expressed mixed views on the need for the mailbox

restriction. The Service, the seven major postal labor unions and

management associations, and a contractors’ association said the mailbox

restriction should remain unchanged. The Service said the mailbox

restriction protects postal revenue, facilitates efficient and secure mail

delivery, and promotes customer privacy. The seven major postal labor

unions and management associations and a contractors’ association gave

similar justifications, saying that the restriction protects the security and

privacy of the mail, among other things. The Justice Department also

opposed any relaxation, saying the restriction deters the distribution of

sexually explicit materials to mailboxes because certain laws and

regulations governing the distribution of such materials23 apply only to

mail delivered by the Postal Service and would not cover such material if

deposited into mailboxes by persons other than the Postal Service.

In contrast, the Service’s competitors said the restriction should be

modified or repealed. They said mailboxes are private property, and the

owners should decide who has access; other laws exist to protect mail

security; and the mailbox restriction impedes competition. A majority of

mailer groups and mailers that responded to our questionnaire favored

retaining the restriction, but others had varying views about the extent to

which the restriction should be changed (see app. III for a copy of the

22One percent declined to express a level of concern, and 13 percent were not asked this question

because they had said their households get most of their mail either at U.S. post offices, through door

slots, or in some other way.

2339 U.S.C. 3008 and 3010 and DMM C032 and C033.

Page 20 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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questionnaire). Table 1 summarizes responses to our questionnaire on the

mailbox restriction. Results based on responses from national expedited

mail and parcel delivery firms, alternate delivery firms and alliances, and

mailer groups and mailers are not generalizable to all such organizations.

Table 1: Overall Responses as to Whether the Mailbox Restriction Should Be Kept Unchanged, Modified, or Repealed

“Does your company/organization support keeping, modifying, or repealing 18

U.S.C. 1725?”

Total

Keep

the law

Modify

the law

Repeal

the law

No

position

U.S. Postal Service, postal labor unions and

management associations, contractors’

association,a U.S. Department of Justice, and

Postal Rate Commissionb 11 10 0 0 1

National expedited mail and parcel delivery

firms 4 0 0 4 0

Alternate delivery firms and alliances 9 0 4 5 0

Mailer groups and mailers 17 10 3 0 4

Total 41 20 7 9 5

Note: See appendix IV for a list of organizations that were selected to receive the questionnaire.

aThis association represents contractors who transport and deliver U.S. mail.

bThe Postal Rate Commission declined to take a position on the mailbox restriction because “it

could be construed by some as inappropriate and a potential conflict of interest regarding our

ratemaking responsibilities.”

Source: Responses to GAO questionnaire.

Postal Service, Justice

Department, Major Postal

Labor Unions, and

Management Associations

Supported the Mailbox

Restriction

The Service told us that the mailbox restriction is justified for the three

broad reasons provided earlier by the Service in the Greenburgh case: it

protects postal revenue, facilitates the efficient and secure delivery of

mail, and promotes the privacy of postal customers. But the Service also

noted that just deleting the mailbox restriction from the United States

Code apparently would not, in itself, authorize private carriers to deposit

matter in mailboxes since postal regulations also prohibit such behavior.

According to the Service, its authority to issue these regulations comes

from its rulemaking authority under Title 39 of the United States Code,

without regard to the mailbox restriction, which is part of Title 18. These

regulations were upheld by a U.S. Court of Appeals in the Rockville

Reminder case. Additionally, in commenting on our report, the Deputy

Postmaster General expressed serious concerns with the idea of resolving

the mailbox restriction issue by allowing selective access to postal

Page 21 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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customers’ mailboxes, based either on the kind of matter to be delivered

or on each postal customer’s individual preference. He explained that

(1) the resulting judicial, administrative, and enforcement burdens would

far outweigh any benefits to mailers or postal customers, and (2) it may be

difficult or impossible for Congress to write a law that gives some parties

access to mailboxes which would withstand a court challenge from other

parties who had been denied access to mailboxes.

The Service has also supported the mailbox restriction in written

responses to questions from the House Subcommittee on the Postal

Service. In 1995, the Inspector General and Chief Postal Inspector for the

Postal Service wrote that the Postal Service should maintain exclusive

access to mailboxes.24 He cited concern about the security of mail and the

potential that without the mailbox restriction, mailboxes would be

overcrowded with materials delivered by others. In October 1996, the

Chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors wrote that “. . . we are

opposed to any relaxation of the Private Express Statutes and to

unrestricted access to the mailbox.” He explained that a limited monopoly

over the delivery of letter mail and exclusive access to mailboxes have

generally been regarded as required to preserve the necessary financial

underpinnings for affordable universal postal service, which the Service is

obligated to provide. He said the universal service requirement, uniform

letter rate, and many public service activities of the Postal Service are

directly related to the Private Express Statutes and the mailbox

restriction. He added, “We believe that these restrictions cannot be relaxed

without serious threat to universal service.”25

The seven major postal labor unions and management associations and a

contractors’ association unanimously supported the mailbox restriction.

These organizations’ justifications were similar to the Postal Service’s,

emphasizing the need to limit mailbox access to the Service and the

customer in order to protect mail security and privacy. Seven of these

organizations stated that the mailbox restriction protects mail security.

The organizations variously said the restriction protects universal service,

helps the Service enforce other postal laws, and protects Service revenues.

In 1996, the seven major postal labor unions and management associations

and the contractors’ association provided testimony or written statements

24October 31, 1995, letter to the Chairman, Subcommittee on the Postal Service, Committee on

Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives, to be included with the record of the

hearing held by the Subcommittee on July 25, 1995.

25October 1, 1996, letter to the Chairman, Subcommittee on the Postal Service, Committee on

Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives.

Page 22 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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to the House Subcommittee on the Postal Service that opposed or

expressed strong concerns about the proposed mailbox demonstration

test.

The Justice Department opposed the use of mailboxes by anyone other

than the Postal Service. Certain federal laws and postal regulations govern

the distribution and labeling of sexually explicit advertisements and allow

postal customers to request not to receive such materials.26 These federal

laws and postal regulations apply only to mail delivered by the Postal

Service and would not cover such material if deposited into mailboxes by

persons other than the Postal Service. In its response to our questions, the

Justice Department said:

“Currently, because of statutory limits on access, usually only mail which has been

processed through the Postal Service can be found inside mailboxes. In the past, many

companies sent unsolicited sexually oriented advertisements to postal customers, causing

a furor and resulting in federal criminal prosecutions. Today, companies which use the mail

know that materials will arrive at a mailbox only if the firms comply with regulations which

are substantial and can be monitored by postal employees. The repeal of existing

authorities will permit anyone to put material into mailboxes, which will undoubtedly

permit the return of sexually explicit advertisements that do not adhere to postal

regulations. For that reason, we oppose the use of mailboxes by anyone other than the

[U.S. Postal Service].”

The Acting Deputy Chief, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section,

Justice Department Criminal Division, told us that without the mailbox

restriction, he believed there would be substantial amounts of illegal

sexually explicit and obscene (SEO) materials delivered to mailboxes

without going through the postal system. The official said that distributors

of SEO materials will try to take advantage of any opportunity to achieve

widespread distribution of such materials. He said the mailbox restriction

deters placement of such materials because (1) the Postal Inspection

Service currently has authority under other laws to investigate violations

involving items delivered to mailboxes and is aided by the mailbox

restriction, which limits access to mailboxes to the Postal Service and the

postal customer; and (2) the mailbox restriction essentially makes a

suspect of anyone opening a mailbox other than the Postal Service and the

postal customer. The official said that although many laws cover the

distribution of SEO materials, without the mailbox restriction it would be

more difficult to identify and apprehend violators delivering illegal SEO

materials because almost anyone could legally open mailboxes and not be

2639 U.S.C. 3008 and 3010 and DMM C032 and C033.

Page 23 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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a suspect. The official also said that such potential problems could be

tempered somewhat if only large private delivery companies such as

Federal Express were allowed access to mailboxes, because there are a

limited number of such companies and because they are large enough to

provide adequate security and assurance that materials they deliver meet

applicable laws.

Postal Service Competitors

Wanted the Mailbox

Restriction Repealed or

Modified

The four national expedited mail and parcel delivery firms that responded

to our questionnaire said that the mailbox restriction should be repealed.

An executive at one of the three firms who explained her firm’s views said

that the public interest would be served by repealing the mailbox

restriction because U.S. history has shown that absent special

circumstances, competition is generally the best and fairest way to

advance the economy. The executive said there is no economic evidence

to demonstrate that the mailbox restriction is needed to maintain universal

postal service; it is unnecessary for protecting mail security, since other

laws punish theft and trespass; and it was not intended to restrict the

delivery of express parcels when it was passed in 1934.27 The executive

also said the mailbox restriction is a matter of great frustration to the firm,

and a representative of the firm has previously said it imposes

considerable difficulties on private carriers. An executive at a second firm

favoring repeal said that mailbox owners should be able to use their

property as they wish. An executive at a third firm said that the mailbox

restriction gives the Postal Service an unfair advantage because the firm is

currently forced to leave items in doorways and other places rather than in

the mailbox. The executive said repeal would allow it to leave documents

and packages in a safer and more secure location, which would help

protect them from the weather.

Among the nine alternate delivery firms and alliances that responded to

our questionnaire, four favored modification of the mailbox restriction and

five favored repeal. An executive at one firm that favored modification

said that private carriers with access to mailboxes should have to meet

certain verification and delivery requirements. An executive at another

firm that favored modification said that the Service should receive some

type of compensation from others who use mailboxes. Executives at the

five alternate delivery firms and alliances favoring repeal gave a number of

27The executive also said her firm would support two possible limitations to mailbox access:

(1) allowing individuals to limit access to their own mailboxes; and (2) allowing the Postal Rate

Commission to restrict access in areas or circumstances where evidence shows that the public interest

in universal service requires it, and such restrictions would apply equally (e.g., if competitors could not

put express shipments in mailboxes, neither could the Postal Service).

Page 24 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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reasons to support their positions, including that mailbox owners should

decide who has access.

Ten of 17 Mailer Groups

and Mailers Supported the

Mailbox Restriction

Ten of the 17 mailer groups and mailers that responded to our

questionnaire said they want to keep the current mailbox restriction, 3

favored modification of the law, and 4 had no position. Executives of these

organizations that favored keeping the restriction primarily expressed

concerns about security of the mail, but other concerns included customer

privacy, protection of postal revenue, unwanted material being placed into

mailboxes, and efficient mail delivery by the Postal Service.

We asked those who said the mailbox restriction should be modified or

repealed to indicate whether certain companies or “private individuals”

should be “allowed to place mailable matter without postage into private

mailboxes.” In contrast to the four national expedited mail and parcel

delivery firms that said that mailboxes should be open to private

individuals, six of nine alternate delivery firms and alliances did not want

to allow private individuals access to mailboxes (see table 2). Executives

at four of these alternate delivery firms and alliances said that there should

be some form of licensing or positive identification of those allowed

access to the mailboxes.

The three mailer groups and mailers that favored having the law modified

said that private individuals should not be allowed to place matter into

mailboxes (see table 2). Executives at two of the three organizations that

favored modifying the law to allow the proposed mailbox access test said

that those who deposit matter into mailboxes should be licensed or

registered. An executive at the other organization said that delivery

services should be allowed to distribute individually addressed mail pieces

to mailboxes and said the amount of mail addressed to “occupant” should

be limited. In addition, an executive at one mailer association that took no

position on the mailbox restriction also supported the proposed mailbox

access test.

Page 25 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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Table 2: Views on Mailbox Access Among Those Who Said That the Mailbox Restriction Should Be Modified or Repealed

“If your company/organization supports modifying or repealing 18 U.S.C. 1725, should the

following be allowed to place mailable matter without postage into private mailboxes?”

Private express

mail companies

Gas, electric,

water companies

Catalog, coupon,

ad distributors

Newspaper,

magazine

distributors

Private

individuals

National expedited mail and

parcel delivery firms

4 yes

0 no

4 yes

0 no

4 yes

0 no

4 yes

0 no

4 yes

0 no

Alternate delivery firms and

alliances

9 yes

0 no

7 yes

2 no

8 yes

1 no

9 yes

0 no

3 yes

6 no

Mailer groups and mailers 3 yes

0 no

3 yes

0 no

2 yes

1 no

3 yes

0 no

0 yes

3 no

Total who favored

modification/ repeal

16 yes

0 no

14 yes

2 no

14 yes

2 no

16 yes

0 no

7 yes

9 no

Source: Responses to GAO questionnaire.

Theft of Mail From

Mailboxes in the

United States and in

Eight Foreign

Countries

Although the Postal Inspection Service—which is responsible for

enforcing postal laws—had no data on the number of mail thefts from

mailboxes, Inspection Service officials said that theft of mail from

mailboxes is a very serious problem in the United States. Six of the eight

foreign postal administrations we surveyed reported that theft of mail

from mailboxes is a minor or no problem within their countries. Like the

Postal Service, the eight foreign postal administrations also did not have

data on the number of mail thefts from mailboxes. However, two factors

appear to contribute to the better mailbox security reported by most of the

eight foreign postal administrations we surveyed. First, the mix of

residential mail receptacles was different in three foreign countries from

the mix in the United States. Postal administrations of two of these

countries reported that the majority of their residential customers use mail

slots in doors or walls rather than using mailboxes, and another foreign

postal administration reported that its residential customers use a higher

proportion of locked mailboxes than the United States. Second, seven

foreign postal administrations reported that they generally do not collect

outgoing mail from residential customers’ mailboxes.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service officials said the mailbox restriction helps

deter mail theft. They said that the mailbox restriction limits access to the

Postal Service and the postal customer, which makes it easier to detect,

investigate, and resolve cases involving theft of mail from mailboxes. The

eight foreign postal administrations we surveyed said that they did not

Page 26 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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have mailbox restriction laws, have never had exclusive access, and did

not believe that they needed it. Five foreign postal administrations said

that exclusive mailbox access would be inconsistent with the concept of

fair competition in their countries.

The Inspection Service

Considers Theft of Mail

From Mailboxes to Be a

Serious Problem

Theft of mail from mailboxes is a very serious problem in the United

States, according to Postal Inspection Service officials. Although the

Inspection Service data on mail theft do not identify whether the theft

occurs from a mailbox or other location, the data show that the Inspection

Service received over 2.4 million mail theft complaints during fiscal year

1996. Over 1.2 million complaints were listed in the Mail Theft Reporting

System (MTRS), which is the repository for complaints reported to the

Inspection Service from external sources, such as credit card issuers, state

and federal check issuing agencies, and money order issuers. Of the

1.2 million MTRS complaints, about 877,000 concerned nonreceipt of credit

cards sent through the mail, which resulted in an additional 175,000

complaints involving fraudulent transactions with credit cards.

Postal customers used the Mail Loss/Rifling Report (Form 1510)28 to file

nearly 1.2 million general customer complaints regarding theft, delay, and

mistreatment of mail in fiscal year 1996. Although the proportion of the

total 2.4 million complaints for mail theft that involved theft of mail from

mailboxes was not specifically identified, the Inspection Service noted in

its response to our questions that “Although not all [of the 2.4 million

complaints] are directly attributable to thefts from mailboxes, it is safe to

characterize a large and significant portion of this number as theft from

mailboxes.”

The Inspection Service reported 4,777 arrests for mail theft in fiscal year

1996, including 499 postal employees and 4,278 other persons. In the same

year, there were 4,224 convictions for mail theft, including 548 postal

employees and 3,676 other persons.29 The Inspection Service said it spent

more than 1 million hours annually investigating and working on mail theft

cases in fiscal years 1992 through 1996. There were no available data on

the number of arrests, convictions, or workhours that were related

specifically to theft of mail from mailboxes.

28According to Inspection Service officials, there is little overlap between Form 1510 complaints and

complaints recorded by MTRS.

29Some convictions resulted from arrests made in the previous year(s).

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According to Inspection Service Officials, most theft of mail from

mailboxes involves incoming mail, such as credit cards,30 but theft of

outgoing mail is also a problem in numerous communities across the

nation. Some local Inspection Service officials have advised postal patrons

in their jurisdictions to avoid leaving outgoing mail in their mailboxes and,

if they do, not to raise the mailbox flags because this can be a signal to

thieves that there is mail in the mailboxes.

The Service did not have complete data available on the total number of

mailboxes from which it collects outgoing mail, but Service officials told

us that outgoing mail is collected from most mailboxes. Postal Service

regulations state that mailable matter is generally to be collected from

rural mailboxes if postage is fully prepaid or money equal to the required

postage is furnished.31 Service policy calls for both city and rural carriers

to collect outgoing mail from curbside mailboxes when the flags are

raised, even if there is no mail for delivery that day to the mailboxes.

Service data show there are about 42 million of these residential curbside

mailboxes. City carriers are also directed to collect outgoing mail with

prepaid postage if it is placed next to, in, or on mailboxes when they

deliver mail to customers. Service data show that there are about

34 million residential delivery points, which include mail delivered by

letter carriers on foot to mailboxes attached to houses, mailboxes behind

the sidewalk, and door slots.

Most Foreign Postal

Administrations Said Theft

of Mail From Mailboxes

Was Not a Serious Problem

Although the eight foreign postal administrations we surveyed did not

have data on the number of mail thefts from mailboxes, six said that theft

of mail from mailboxes was not a problem or was a minor problem within

their countries. The three postal administrations of Australia, France, and

The Netherlands said that theft of mail from mailboxes was not a problem.

The postal administration of The Netherlands noted that a majority of its

residential customers use mail slots in doors or walls rather than

mailboxes and estimated that only about 12 percent of all households in

that country use mailboxes. Similarly, the postal administration of the

United Kingdom said that theft from mailboxes did not apply because the

vast majority of its residential customers use mail slots in doors or walls

instead of mailboxes. Two of the foreign postal administrations, New

30Postal Inspection Service officials told us that aside from credit cards, other items are stolen from

mailboxes, such as credit card solicitations and certain types of checks, such as Treasury checks and

tax refund checks.

31DMM D042.10.5.

Page 28 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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Zealand Post and Sweden Post, said that theft of mail from mailboxes was

only a minor problem.

The German postal administration, Deutsche Post AG, said theft of mail

from mailboxes was a very serious problem, while Canada Post described

it as a somewhat serious problem. Deutsche Post AG had no current data

available on the theft of mail from mailboxes but said “. . . such thefts lead

to considerable interference with the postal service.” Canada Post said

that although theft of mail was not a serious problem in frequency, it

treated the problem seriously because mail theft ultimately affects its

customers negatively. Canada Post had no statistical data on instances of

mail thefts from mailboxes, and none were available from the Royal

Canadian Mounted Police or Statistics Canada.

In response to six questions, five or more foreign postal administrations

said that their lack of exclusive access to mailboxes within their countries

had not caused or contributed to conditions cited by the U.S. Postal

Service as justifications for its mailbox restriction—that is, to protect

against significant loss of postal revenue, inefficient mail delivery and

collection, decreased mail privacy, increased mail theft, difficulty in

investigating mail theft, and increased mail fraud (see table 3).

Table 3: Views of Eight Foreign Postal

Administrations Regarding Possible

Problems Related to Lack of Exclusive

Access to Mailboxes

In your opinion, does the postal administration’s

lack of exclusive access to mailboxes cause or

contribute to any of the following? Yes No

Don’t

know

1. Significant loss of postal revenue? 0 6 2

2. Inefficient mail delivery/collection? 0 8 0

3. Decreased mail privacy? 1 7 0

4. Increased mail theft? 2 6 0

5. Difficulty investigating mail theft? 2 5 1

6. Increased mail fraud? 1 5 2

Source: Postal administrations in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands, New

Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Although the eight foreign postal administrations generally did not report

specific problems (see table 3), three foreign postal administrations did

report that their lack of exclusive access to mailboxes had caused or

contributed to at least one problem in their country. Canada Post said its

lack of exclusive access to mailboxes had caused or contributed to

increased mail theft but added that was true only for “some [mail theft

Page 29 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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from] rural mailboxes that are not locked.” New Zealand Post said its lack

of exclusive access to mailboxes had caused or contributed to difficulty in

investigating mail theft, explaining that with anyone having access to the

mailbox, it could be claimed that an item was stolen after delivery.

La Poste of France was the only foreign postal administration that said

that its lack of exclusive access to mailboxes had caused or contributed to

multiple problems, including increased mail theft, difficulty in

investigating mail theft, increased mail fraud, and decreased mail privacy

for postal customers. La Poste also said that the U.S. Postal Service’s

exclusive access to mailboxes is a model for other countries, as it offers a

good first level of security against mail fraud, such as advance fee

schemes, look-alike billings, and solicitations disguised as invoices.

Two Factors Appear to

Contribute to Foreign

Mailbox Security

Two factors appear to contribute to the better mailbox security reported

by most of the eight foreign postal administrations we surveyed. First, the

mix of residential mail receptacles was different in three foreign countries

from the mix in the United States. Postal administrations of two of these

countries reported that the majority of their residential customers use mail

slots in doors or walls instead of mailboxes and another foreign postal

administration reported that its residential customers use a higher

proportion of locked mailboxes than the United States. Second, seven

foreign postal administrations reported that they generally do not collect

outgoing mail from residential customers’ mailboxes. The overwhelming

majority of their customers take their outgoing mail to central collection

points, rather than leaving it in the mailboxes to be picked up.

Three foreign postal administrations reported that they have a different

mix of residential mail receptacles than the United States. Twenty-one

percent of the U.S. adults in our national survey said their households get

most of their mail in locked mailboxes and 66 percent said they receive

most of their mail in mailboxes without locks.32 In contrast, the German

postal administration reported that 55 percent of its residential customers

get their mail in locked mailboxes, while only 17.5 percent use unlocked

mailboxes.33 The postal administration of the United Kingdom reported

32The other 13 percent of all adults in our national survey said that their households get most of their

mail either at U.S. post offices (8 percent), through door slots (4 percent), or some other way

(1 percent).

33According to Deutsche Post AG, mail for other German residential customers is (1) delivered through

a slot in a door or wall (16 percent); (2) handed directly to them (8 percent); (3) received in a mail

room, by a building manager, or by a concierge (3 percent); or (4) delivered to a post office box

(0.5 percent).

Page 30 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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that the vast majority of its residential customers use mail slots in doors or

walls instead of mailboxes. Similarly, the postal administration of The

Netherlands said that a majority of its residential customers also use mail

slots in doors or walls, and estimated that only about 12 percent of

households in that country use mailboxes, adding that “These mailboxes

are generally locked.” The other five postal administrations of Australia,

Canada, France, New Zealand, and Sweden said they could not estimate

the proportion of locked and unlocked residential mailboxes.

Seven foreign postal administrations reported that they generally do not

collect outgoing mail from residential customers’ mailboxes, whereas the

U.S. Postal Service collects outgoing mail from most mailboxes. The postal

administrations of France and The Netherlands said they do not routinely

collect outgoing mail from any mailboxes. In Germany, Deutsche Post AG

said it routinely collects mail from only 25,000 mailboxes in rural areas, or

less than 0.1 percent of its residential delivery points. Canada Post

estimated that it routinely collects mail from some mailboxes in rural

areas representing about 6 percent of all mailboxes. New Zealand Post

reported that it routinely collects outgoing mail from about 110,000 rural

customers’ mailboxes, which would represent about 9 percent of its

residential delivery points. Customers who receive “Rural Delivery

Service” in New Zealand use mailboxes without locks that have flags that

can be used to indicate that outgoing mail is awaiting collection. Australia

Post said it does not routinely collect outgoing mail from any mailboxes,

but it added that residents may hand fully prepaid letters to the letter

carrier. In Sweden, letter carriers will accept outgoing mail from

mailboxes, but Sweden Post reported that this is not a common practice.

The Inspection Service

Said the Mailbox

Restriction Helps Deter

Mail Theft

Inspection Service officials told us that the mailbox restriction helps deter

theft of mail from mailboxes by limiting mailbox access. They said that

limited access also helps enforce laws against mail theft, obstruction of

mail, and mail fraud. They said this limited access makes it easier to

identify mail theft suspects, simplifies surveillance to identify perpetrators,

and makes it easier to resolve cases involving mail stolen from mailboxes.

The officials strongly opposed any relaxation of the mailbox restriction,

saying it would potentially cause a dramatic increase in theft of mail from

mailboxes and impair law enforcement efforts.

Inspection Service officials acknowledged that other postal laws exist

against mail theft, obstruction of mail, and mail fraud, but they said these

laws are most effective because the mailbox restriction limits legal access

Page 31 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
B-272447 

to mailboxes to the Postal Service and the postal customer. First, they said

that limited access helps deter mail theft by making it easier for postal

customers and the Service to detect suspicious activity around mailboxes.

Without the restriction, mail thieves would not need to be as surreptitious,

the officials said. Second, the officials said that the mailbox restriction

makes it easier for the Inspection Service to investigate and resolve cases

involving mail theft or obstruction of mail because it is often necessary to

establish who had physical access to the mailbox to prove that mail was

stolen or obstructed. Inspection Service officials said limited access makes

it easier for law enforcement agencies or postal customers to identify mail

theft suspects because only the Postal Service and the postal customer

have legal access to the mailbox. The Inspection Service generally uses

mailbox surveillance in its investigations when it suspects mail is being

stolen from mailboxes, according to Inspection Service officials. They said

that the Inspection Service uses mailbox surveillance to determine

whether mail theft is occurring at the mailbox, as well as to obtain proof

that a particular suspect is stealing mail. Inspection Service officials also

said that some mail fraud investigations are dependent upon establishing

that only the addressee and the Postal Service letter carrier have legal

access to the mailbox.

Inspection Service officials strongly opposed relaxing or repealing the

mailbox restriction. They said that without the restriction, mail theft cases

would be more difficult to resolve. In their view, any company or person

given legal access to mailboxes could become a potential mail theft

suspect that might need to be investigated when problems such as mail

theft occur.

In addition, the officials said that if the mailbox restriction was relaxed or

repealed, federal laws against mail theft would not apply to items left in

mailboxes by private delivery companies or anyone else because the items

would not be U.S. mail. They said that theft of items other than U.S. mail

from mailboxes would be considered theft of personal property and would

not be investigated by the Inspection Service. Instead, these thefts could

be investigated by the local police, and the Inspection Service would not

be involved in attempting to resolve these cases. Moreover, consistent

with the views of the Justice Department, Inspection Service officials said

that the mailbox restriction helps deter the placement of sexually explicit

materials into mailboxes because, as previously discussed, certain laws

and regulations governing the distribution of sexually explicit materials

apply only to mail delivered by the Postal Service.34

3439 U.S.C. 3008 and 3010 and DMM C032 and C033.

Page 32 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
B-272447 

Foreign Postal

Administrations Said They

Do Not Need a Mailbox

Restriction

None of the eight foreign postal administrations we surveyed said they

needed a law restricting mailbox access and none have ever had such a

restriction. Although La Poste of France recognized drawbacks to its lack

of exclusive mailbox access, it and four of the other seven foreign postal

administrations said that giving the postal administration exclusive access

to mailboxes would be counter to the concept of fair competition for mail

delivery. As we reported in September 1996,35 private competitors in some

of these countries are allowed to deliver a larger proportion of letter mail

than is the case in the United States, where the Postal Service has a

monopoly over most letter mail.

Australia Post said that restrictions on mailbox access would be counter

to national competition policy principles that aim to minimize regulation.

The Australian government has encouraged all its business enterprises to

be able to compete on equal terms in the market, Australia Post said,

adding that Australia Post can compete without gaining undue advantages

from exclusive mailbox access. La Poste of France said if it had exclusive

mailbox access, this would be against fair competition rules because La

Poste would be able to take advantage in competing to deliver mail not

covered by its postal monopoly, such as unaddressed printed matter and

parcels. Deutsche Post AG of Germany said that exclusive mailbox access

would give rise to problems under the fair trade rules. PTT Post, the postal

administration of The Netherlands, also said exclusive mailbox access

would be an artificial obstruction of competition.

New Zealand Post said the main reason there is open access to mailboxes

is to provide open competition for delivery of all items except standard

letters, adding that it would be placed in a dominant position if it had a

monopoly on mailbox access. Canada Post said its monopoly over letter

mail is sufficient protection for its core business; and since mailboxes are

the private property of customers, they had not seen any need to interfere

with their right of ownership.36 Sweden Post said it cannot dictate how

mailboxes should be used because they belong to the addressees, adding

that most households with mailboxes subscribe to a morning newspaper

that is left in the mailboxes. The postal administration of the United

Kingdom said it did not need exclusive access to mailboxes because the

vast majority of its residential customers receive mail through slots in

doors or walls rather than in mailboxes.

35GAO/GGD-96-129A/B.

36Canada Post also said it has exclusive access to apartment house mailboxes and to community

mailboxes similar to U.S. cluster boxes because these mail receptacles are locked.

Page 33 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
B-272447 

Agency Comments

and Our Evaluation

In the Postal Service’s comments (see app. V), the Deputy Postmaster

General said that he was in general agreement with the information

contained in the report and said that it is a balanced presentation. We have

summarized the Postal Service’s views on the importance of the mailbox

restriction, and have incorporated their specific comments opposing

selective access to mailboxes into the report. The Deputy Postmaster

General stressed the Service’s concern that the Private Express Statutes

provide the financial underpinning necessary for the Postal Service to

provide universal service at a uniform postage rate. He said that the

mailbox restriction is an essential companion to the Statutes. He also said

that if as a result of legislation, the Statutes were relaxed or eliminated

and, concurrently, others were given access to mailboxes, a major portion

of the Service’s letter mail volume would potentially be open for diversion.

He recognized that it is impossible to precisely predict the consequences

of such legislation, but he believed that there would be an immediate and

substantial decline in mail volume, which would inevitably unravel the

revenue base that supports universal service.

We agree that the Statutes have provided the financial underpinning for

universal service. As we noted in our report on the Private Express

Statutes,37 universal mail service at uniform rates is one of several key

issues Congress needs to consider in assessing the desirability of changing

the Statutes. In addition, many other factors could affect universal service.

Some of these include how Congress might change the Statutes, how

competitors might respond, what mail volume might be diverted, and

whether the Service can improve service quality and control operating

costs.

Service officials also provided written and oral technical comments to

clarify and correct some of the information in the draft report. We have

incorporated these comments into the report where appropriate. Similarly,

we arranged for the eight foreign postal administrations to review relevant

sections of the draft report. We incorporated their technical comments to

improve the accuracy of the report where appropriate.

As arranged with the Subcommittee, unless you publicly announce the

contents of this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days

after the date of this letter. At that time, we will distribute copies of the

report to the Ranking Minority Member of your Subcommittee; the

Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee on

37GAO/GGD-96-129A/B.

Page 34 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
B-272447 

International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services, Senate

Committee on Governmental Affairs; the Postmaster General; and other

interested parties. Copies will also be made available to others upon

request.

Major contributors to this report are listed in appendix VI. If you have any

questions about the report, please call me on (202) 512-8387.

Sincerely yours,

Michael E. Motley

Associate Director, Government

 Business Operations Issues

Page 35 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Contents

Letter 1

Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope,

and Methodology

38

Appendix II 

Questionnaire for

GAO National Survey

on the Mailbox

Restriction and

Overall Responses

44

Appendix III 

Questionnaire Sent to

Selected Domestic

Organizations on the

Mailbox Restriction

51

Appendix IV 

Domestic

Organizations

Selected to Receive

GAO Questionnaires

on Mailbox Access

52

Appendix V 

Comments From the

U.S. Postal Service

54

Page 36 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Contents

Appendix VI 

Major Contributors to

This Report

56

Tables Table 1: Overall Responses as to Whether the Mailbox Restriction

Should Be Kept Unchanged, Modified, or Repealed

21

Table 2: Views on Mailbox Access Among Those Who Said That

the Mailbox Restriction Should Be Modified or Repealed

26

Table 3: Views of Eight Foreign Postal Administrations Regarding

Possible Problems Related to Lack of Exclusive Access to

Mailboxes

29

Table I.1: Outcomes of Telephone Interviewing and Response

Rate for Survey of U.S. Adults

39

Figures Figure 1: Mailboxes, Door Slots, and Post Office Boxes Used in

the United States

8

Figure 2: Views of Adults Differed on Allowing Any Individual or

Certain Types of Companies to Leave Mail in Mailboxes

16

Figure 3: When Asked to Choose, Adults Generally Favored

Limiting Mailbox Access to the Postal Service

18

Abbreviations

DMM Domestic Mail Manual

MTRS Mail Theft Reporting System

SEO Sexually explicit and obscene

UPS United Parcel Service

Page 37 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The Chairman, Subcommittee on the Postal Service, House Committee on

Government Reform and Oversight, requested that we provide information

relevant to considering possible changes to 18 U.S.C. 1725, which is known

as the mailbox restriction. He requested the review shortly before he

introduced legislation (H.R. 3717, 104th Cong. (1996)) in the 104th

Congress to reform the Postal Service that included, among other things, a

demonstration project to test relaxing the mailbox restriction, in certain

areas for 3 years. This bill was not reported out of the Subcommittee in the

104th Congress. In January 1997, the Chairman introduced a similar bill

(H.R. 22, 105th Cong. (1997)) that proposed the same demonstration

project.

Our objectives were to obtain and provide information on (1) the purpose

and history of the mailbox restriction; (2) current U.S. public attitudes

toward the mailbox restriction; (3) views of the U.S. Postal Service,

competitors, major mailers, postal labor organizations, the U.S.

Department of Justice, and the Postal Rate Commission on the mailbox

restriction; and (4) the experience of the United States and certain other

countries regarding mail theft and the need for a mailbox restriction.

To determine the purpose and history of the mailbox restriction, we

(1) reviewed the mailbox restriction law, 18 U.S.C. 1725; (2) examined the

legislative history of the mailbox restriction and current Postal Service

regulations that restrict access to mailboxes; and (3) reviewed court cases

involving challenges to the mailbox restriction, particularly the 1981 U.S.

Supreme Court decision that upheld its constitutionality.38 We also

reviewed relevant federal laws, including laws against mail theft,

obstruction of mail, and mail fraud; laws governing the distribution of

sexually explicit materials; and current postal regulations that restrict

access to mailboxes.39

To determine current U.S. public attitudes about the mailbox restriction,

we developed survey questions and contracted with the University of

Maryland’s Survey Research Center to conduct a national telephone

survey. A total of 1,013 randomly selected adults (18 and older) in the

continental United States were interviewed between August 12 and

October 14, 1996. Survey results are representative of all adults in the

continental United States.

38U.S. Postal Service v. Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, 453 U.S. 114 (1981).

3918 U.S.C. 1341, 1701, 1702, 1708, 1709, and 39 U.S.C. 3008 and 3010, and DMM C032 and C033.

Page 38 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To obtain a random sample of adults within households, telephone

numbers were randomly generated from a sampling frame of working area

code and three-digit prefix combinations in the continental United States.

This methodology generated both listed and unlisted telephone numbers.

A single adult was selected at random from among all adults residing in

each household that was contacted.

Our questions were asked as part of an “omnibus” survey, which means

that multiple sponsors paid to include their questions in the survey. We

were the only sponsor that asked questions about postal issues.

The response rate to the survey was 65 percent. Table I.1 summarizes the

outcomes of telephone interviewing and the response rate to the survey.

Table I.1: Outcomes of Telephone

Interviewing and Response Rate for

Survey of U.S. Adults

Description Number Percent

Telephone numbers in original sample 2,570

Nonhouseholds (e.g., businesses, nonworking telephone

numbers) 886

Household status unknown (e.g., no answer or busy signal,

and the number was dialed at least 20 times) 131

Households 1,553 100

Interview completed with randomly selected adult 1,013 65

Refusal 298 19

Telephone answering machine was reached and at least 25

attempts were made to complete the interview, or the

designated respondent could not be contacted and at least

25 attempts were made to contact the selected adult 155 10

Physical limitations prevented the interview, such as illness,

lack of hearing, or inability to speak English 87 6

Source: University of Maryland Survey Research Center.

Results from the survey were adjusted according to (1) the number of

nonbusiness telephone numbers in the household because every telephone

number had an equal probability of selection, so households with more

than one telephone number had a higher chance of inclusion; and

(2) household size because only one adult was selected from among all

adults in the household. Results from the survey were also adjusted to

match the characteristics of all adults in the general public according to

demographic characteristics that included sex, age, education, race, and

region. In reporting percentages for each survey question, we excluded the

Page 39 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

small number of adults (4 to 15 adults out of 1,013 in the survey) who did

not give an answer to that particular question.

Because the survey used random sampling, the results are subject to some

uncertainty, or sampling error. The overall results were surrounded by

95 percent confidence intervals of plus or minus 4 percent or less. Results

for subgroups had larger sampling errors. For results given in this report,

sampling errors were less than plus or minus 7 percent for subgroups with

different levels of education, less than plus or minus 8 percent for those

with locked mailboxes, and less than plus or minus 4 percent for those

with mailboxes without locks.

The practical difficulties of conducting any survey may introduce

nonsampling errors. As in any survey, differences in the wording of

questions, in the sources of information that are available to respondents,

or in the types of people who do not respond can lead to somewhat

different results. Therefore, we obtained comments on the questionnaire

from Postal Service officials and made minor changes to address their

comments. We also took steps to minimize the nonsampling errors. For

example, we pretested our survey questions, and the University of

Maryland Survey Research Center also conducted pretesting.

Several actions by the University of Maryland Survey Research Center also

helped to maximize the response rate, including (1) making at least 20

attempts to contact each sampled household; (2) training interviewers

how to conduct the interview, avoid refusals, and persuade potential

respondents to participate; and (3) recontacting households that initially

refused to participate. The latter resulted in completed interviews with

45 percent of those recontacted. A supervisor monitored interviewing in

the centralized location where interviewing was conducted. In addition,

we used a second analyst to double-check our computer analyses.

To obtain the views of key stakeholders toward the mailbox restriction,

we used a one-page questionnaire that asked structured questions about

the mailbox restriction and mailbox access. We selected 59 domestic

organizations to receive the questionnaire, including the Postal Service,

the U.S. Department of Justice, 7 major postal labor unions and

management associations, an association representing contractors who

transport and deliver U.S. mail, 5 national expedited mail and parcel

delivery firms, an association representing expedited mail and parcel

delivery firms, 14 alternate delivery firms and alliances, 28 mailer groups

Page 40 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

and mailers, and the Postal Rate Commission. Our basis for selecting these

organizations is described below.

We selected (1) the Postal Service because it is the current beneficiary of

the mailbox restriction; (2) the U.S. Department of Justice because it has

enforcement responsibilities for federal laws, including postal laws

covering mail theft, obstruction of mail, and mail fraud; and federal laws

related to the distribution of pornography and mailings of sexually explicit

materials, including such mail sent to mailboxes; (3) the Postal Rate

Commission because it is the independent body with responsibilities in the

postal ratesetting process; (4) the seven major postal labor unions and

management associations and an association that represents contractors

who transport and deliver U.S. mail, because they represent postal

employees and contractors who could be affected by changes to the

mailbox restriction; and (5) the five national expedited mail and parcel

delivery firms that the Service had previously identified as its principal

competitors and an association that represents expedited parcel delivery

firms.

In addition, we selected 14 alternate delivery firms and alliances that are

members of an industry that competes with the Service for delivery of

some materials, such as unaddressed advertising. We judgmentally

selected these organizations to ensure a broad range of company sizes,

geographic locations, companies in areas with different population levels,

and both newspaper-owned firms and other firms. We also judgmentally

selected 28 mailer groups and mailers to obtain the views of (1) mailing

industry trade associations and mailers that represent those who send

significant volumes of mail; and (2) mailer groups and mailers in the credit

card, financial, and insurance industries.

We faxed the vast majority of the questionnaires on various dates in

October and November 1996, with follow-ups primarily in January 1997.

We received a total of 41 written responses to the questionnaires, which

form the basis for discussion in this report. Respondents included the

Postal Service, the 7 major postal labor unions and management

associations, an association representing contractors who deliver and

transport U.S. mail, 17 mailer groups and mailers, 4 national expedited

mail and parcel delivery firms, 9 alternate delivery firms and alliances, the

Justice Department, and the Postal Rate Commission. Results based on

responses from national expedited mail and parcel delivery firms,

alternate delivery firms and alliances, and mailer groups and mailers are

not generalizable to all such organizations because we did not send

Page 41 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

questionnaires to random samples of these groups. Fifteen organizations

did not respond to the initial questionnaire or follow-up, 2 organizations

declined to participate at the time of our initial telephone contact, and 1

organization had apparently gone out of business and could not be

reached. We also interviewed the Acting Deputy Chief, Child Exploitation

and Obscenity Section, Justice Department Criminal Division, to clarify

the Department’s response.

To provide information on the experience of the United States and certain

other countries regarding mail theft and the need for a mailbox restriction,

we obtained information from the U.S. Postal Service and the eight foreign

postal administrations of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, The

Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. We

contacted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which is part of the U.S.

Postal Service, because it is responsible for enforcing U.S. postal laws,

including laws against mail theft. The eight foreign postal administrations

were described in a recent Price Waterhouse report40 as among the most

“progressive postal administrations.” Most of the eight have been reformed

in the past 15 years to change their structures and operations and give

them greater freedom from governmental control. We previously testified41

that the postal reform experiences of these countries are relevant to postal

reform in the United States and reported that none of these countries have

laws that give their postal administrations exclusive access to mailboxes.42

At the Postal Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., we interviewed

Postal Inspection Service officials who oversee enforcement of postal

laws, and we reviewed the relevant documents they submitted. Those

officials provided written responses to our questions and detailed

responses in interviews. We did not verify Inspection Service data on

complaints, arrests, convictions, and workhours related to mail theft.

We surveyed the eight foreign postal administrations using an 11-page

questionnaire to obtain various information on mailbox access, mail theft,

enforcement of postal laws, and the types of mailboxes used within these

countries. In September 1996, we hand-delivered the questionnaire to an

Australian government official who visited us regarding a related postal

40A Strategic Review of Progressive Postal Administrations: Competition, Commercialization, and

Deregulation (Price Waterhouse LLP, February 1995).

41GAO/T-GGD-96-60.

42GAO/GGD-96-129A/B.

Page 42 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix I 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

reform issue at our headquarters in Washington, D.C. In October 1996, we

faxed the questionnaire to the remaining seven foreign postal

administrations.

We received written responses from all eight foreign postal

administrations between October 1996 and January 1997. Seven responses

were supplemented by clarifications provided in telephone interviews or

in written answers to follow-up questions.

Our discussion in this report on mailbox security is primarily based on

information provided by the Postal Inspection Service and the eight

foreign postal administrations. We did not independently verify this

information, evaluate the effectiveness of open access to foreign

mailboxes, or reach an independent judgment on whether or not theft of

mail from mailboxes is a problem in the United States or the eight foreign

countries.

We requested comments on a draft of this report from the Postmaster

General. The Postal Service’s comments are summarized in this report and

reprinted in appendix V. Service officials also provided written and oral

technical comments to clarify and correct some of the information in the

draft report. We incorporated these comments into the report where

appropriate.

We also arranged for the eight foreign postal administrations to review

relevant sections of the draft report. We incorporated their technical

comments to improve the accuracy of the report where appropriate.

We did our audit work in Washington, D.C., and Dallas, Texas, from June

1996 through February 1997 in accordance with generally accepted

government auditing standards.

Page 43 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 44 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 45 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 46 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 47 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 48 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 49 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix II 

Questionnaire for GAO National Survey on

the Mailbox Restriction and Overall

Responses

Page 50 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix III 

Questionnaire Sent to Selected Domestic

Organizations on the Mailbox Restriction

UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

SURVEY CONCERNING MAILBOX ACCESS

Introduction: The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), an independent agency of Congress, is conducting a

survey of private carriers, mailers, mailer organizations and other interested parties regarding access to mailboxes in

the United States. Current law at 18 U.S.C. 1725 prohibits anyone from placing mailable matter without postage

into any mailbox and effectively gives the U.S. Postal Service exclusive access to mailboxes. Please complete this

survey and fax it to Mr. Gary Tutt, GAO, Dallas, TX, at 214-777-5758. Feel free to use a separate sheet for your

responses. If you have any questions, please telephone Mr. Tutt at 214-777-5724.

Questions:

1. To whom should we direct follow-up questions

regarding the response to this survey?

Organization/

Company: 

Name: 

Title: 

Address: 

Phone: ( ) - 

Fax: ( ) - 

2. Does your company/organization support keeping,

modifying, or repealing 18 U.S.C. 1725?

(Check one answer and explain..)

a. Keep current law.

b. Modify current law.

c. Repeal current law.

Explanation:

3. If your company/organization supports modifying

or repealing 18 U.S.C. 1725, should the following

be allowed to place mailable matter without postage

into private mailboxes?

(Check yes or no for each line.)

a. Yes No Private express mail companies

b. Yes No Gas, electric, water companies

c. Yes No Distributors of catalogs,

coupons, and advertisements

d. Yes No Distributors of newspapers and

magazines

e. Yes No Private individuals

4. If your company/organization supports modifying

or repealing 18 U.S.C. 1725, please describe any

limitations or requirements you believe should be

placed on those who deposit matter into mailboxes.

5. Please give us any other comments you have on the

matter of mailbox access.

Page 51 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix IV 

Domestic Organizations Selected to Receive

GAO Questionnaires on Mailbox Access

U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. (*)

Postal Labor Unions, Management Associations, and Contractors’

Association

American Postal Workers Union, Washington, D.C. (*)

National Association of Letter Carriers, Washington, D.C. (*)

National Association of Postal Supervisors, Alexandria, VA (*)

National Association of Postmasters of the United States,

 Alexandria, VA (*)

National League of Postmasters, Alexandria, VA (*)

National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Washington, D.C. (*)

National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Alexandria, VA (*)

National Star Route Mail and Contractors’ Association,

 Washington, D.C. (*)

U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (*)

Postal Rate Commission, Washington, D.C. (*)

Postal Service Competitors

National Expedited Mail and Parcel Delivery Firms

Airborne Express, Seattle, WA (*)

Caliber System, Inc., holding company for RPS, Arlington, VA (*)

DHL Worldwide Express, Redwood City, CA (*)

Federal Express Corporation, Memphis, TN (*)

United Parcel Service, Atlanta, GA

Association Representing Expedited Mail and Parcel Delivery Firms

Air Courier Conference of America, Washington, D.C.

Alternate Delivery Firms

A&A Distribution, Inc., San Jose, CA

AdPost Northwest, Inc., Seattle, WA (*)

Advertisers Postal Service, Gaylord, MI

Alternate Postal Delivery, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI (*)

Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Atlanta, GA

Distribution Systems of America/Newsday, Hicksville, NY (*)

Page 52 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix IV 

Domestic Organizations Selected to Receive

GAO Questionnaires on Mailbox Access

Dow Jones and Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ (*)

H&H Advertising, Fort Worth, TX

The Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX (*)

Maxx Mail, Ltd., New York, NY (*)

Nationwide Alternate Delivery Alliance, Washington, D.C. (*)

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA

R-J ADservices, Las Vegas, NV (*)

Times Distribution, Inc., Seatac, WA (*)

Mailer Groups and Mailers

Advertising Mail Marketing Association, Washington, D.C. (*)

ADVO, Windsor, CT

Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, Washington, D.C. (*)

American Bankers Association, Washington, D.C. (*)

American Council of Life Insurance, Washington, D.C.

American Express Company, Washington, D.C. (*)

American Insurance Association, Washington, D.C. (*)

Association of American Publishers, Washington, D.C.

Association of Priority Mail Users, McLean, VA

Direct Marketing Association, Washington, D.C. (*)

Envelope Manufacturers Association, Alexandria, VA (*)

Health Insurance Association of America, Washington, D.C.

Magazine Publishers of America, Washington, D.C. (*)

Mail Advertising Service Association, Alexandria, VA (*)

Mail Order Association of America, Washington, D.C.

Major Mailers Association, El Dorado Hills, CA

MasterCard International, Purchase, NY

Merrill Lynch, Piscataway, NJ (*)

National Association of Advertising Distributors, Centreville, VA (*)

National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Washington, D.C.

National Association of Presort Mailers, Brandon, FL (*)

National Federation of Nonprofits, Washington, D.C. (*)

National Newspaper Association, Arlington, VA (*)

National Postal Policy Council, Arlington, VA

Newspaper Association of America, Washington, D.C. (*)

Parcel Shippers Association, Washington, D.C. (*)

Sears, Roebuck and Company, Hoffman Estates, IL (*)

VISA USA, Inc., Foster City, CA

Note: Respondents are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Page 53 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix V 

Comments From the U.S. Postal Service

Page 54 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix V 

Comments From the U.S. Postal Service

Page 55 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
Appendix VI 

Major Contributors to This Report

General Government

Division, Washington,

D.C.

Gerald P. Barnes, Assistant Director

James T. Campbell, Assistant Director (retired)

Kenneth E. John, Senior Social Science Analyst

Stuart Kaufman, Survey Specialist

George H. Quinn, Jr., Computer Specialist

James M. Fields, Senior Social Science Analyst

Martin de Alteriis, Senior Social Science Analyst

Katherine M. Wheeler, Publishing Advisor

Office of the General

Counsel, Washington,

D.C.

Jill P. Sayre, Senior Attorney

Dallas Field Office Sherrill Johnson, Core Group Manager

Louis G. Tutt, Senior Evaluator

(240213) Page 56 GAO/GGD-97-85 Restrictions on Mailbox Access
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