Millions rely on the Postal Service for daily needs. Recent polls confirm that 91 percent of Americans living in rural communities strongly agree that the Postal Service is an “essential service,” and 94 percent say that mail and package delivery services are vital.
These results are not surprising. In many parts of the country, the Postal Service, which delivers to every doorstep every day, is an essential part of the nation’s economic infrastructure, helping small- and medium-size businesses ship and receive goods at affordable rates and assisting consumers to connect to the digital economy.
There have been arguments that expanded internet access can substitute for affordable delivery services; however, businesses and consumers in rural America know better.
The Postal Service is a lifeline for rural Americans because it is the only affordable delivery service that ensures citizens receive mail-order medicines, and businesses and consumers receive essential goods. Expanded internet access is necessary, but large swaths of the country will be left further behind in an e-commerce economy if they do not have access to affordable delivery services, not to mention the growing demand for package delivery services and the shift to online retail.
