Although the coalition, which includes direct marketers, magazines and nonprofit mailers, sees the creation of a presidential commission as a good way to achieve long-term reform, some members believe that immediate change is what's needed most. Already, the nonprofit community, which generally cannot pass on rate increases to customers, has begun to find alternatives to the post office. The Postal Service is trying to be more dynamic. In January, it announced a partnership with Federal Express for air delivery. It has begun to sell advertising space on mail trucks and mail collection boxes, in post office lobbies and on the Postal Service's Web site.
Postal reform means different things to different organizations.
Another aspect is limiting its monopoly authority, or even privatization, which is the trend in Western Europe. But industry competitors and customers also want to make sure that reform would prevent the system from throwing its monopoly weight around. Tad Segal, a spokesman for United Parcel Service, said the Postal Service should focus on cutting costs before it raises rates. Critics argue that because the Postal Service, which is mandated to break even, can raise rates to cover costs, it has no incentive to economize. The 1970 law that governs it does not help.