For decades, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has stood by its obligation to serve all Americans regardless of where they live, helping them receive and send mail and packages in a timely and affordable manner. But now, it is planning operational changes that will slow down service for Americans living outside cities. This could adversely affect prescription medication delivery, disrupt small businesses, and loosen the ties between our communities.
To begin, the Postal Service plans to reduce the number of times a day it collects mail from post offices located more than 50 miles from a Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC). Since the majority of processing centers are located closer to cities where there is heavier mail and package volume, this essentially means it will take longer for Americans living outside these cities to receive some of their mail and packages.
In Arizona, for example, the only such RPDC facility is located in the Phoenix metro. This means that any mail or package originating from a zip code outside of this area that is dropped off at a post office after morning collections will sit overnight, not entering the Postal Service’s system until the following morning. Residents of rural areas that often don’t have private sector options for delivery services to fall back on as an alternative will feel this change the most, but folks in places like Tucson and Flagstaff will also be impacted as well.
The Postal Service is also redirecting the flow of mail in several states, which will further impact service. For example, mail and packages originating in New Hampshire will now be sent to Boston for processing, only to then return to addresses in New Hampshire! Mail in Wyoming will similarly be sent to Colorado or Montana to be sorted, before going back to Wyoming for distribution. And mail sent between addresses within South Dakota is likely to be sent to Omaha, Nebraska for processing, and then back to South Dakota—in some instances a 500-mile trip.
Slower service is not just an inconvenience for Americans living in rural and semi-rural areas—it disrupts daily life. Many Americans – and the more than 500,000 Arizonans who live in rural communities – often rely on the Postal Service for their small business needs, to send important business documents, and to keep in touch with loved ones.
For example, for businesses filling online orders, delivery time is often determinative for making a sale. In a world where mega retailers can afford to offer fast and free delivery, small businesses in rural areas will be directly harmed by this change as their delivery times become longer and less competitive. Since some small businesses in rural areas have limited affordable delivery options beyond the Postal Service, they could suffer losses outside of their control. And apart from filling online orders, small businesses use the Postal Service to deliver important documents related to payroll, benefits, and other information. Service delays in rural areas mean it will take longer for these papers to be delivered.
These delays in service to rural communities also loosen the threads that connect our communities and further isolate our most vulnerable neighbors who rely on the mail to communicate with loved ones and keep track of their health and wellness. The mail Americans are used to sending and receiving, including wedding invitations, holiday cards, and appointment reminders, may be delayed. This goes against the Postal Service’s statutory enshrined purpose to “bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.”
Those living in rural communities in Arizona and all across the country deserve the ability to send and receive mail and packages reliably and affordably. The Postal Service’s proposed changes to service will only do the opposite and should be reconsidered.
Horace Cooper is a political and legal commentator and author of Put Ya’ll Back in Chains: How Joe Biden’s Policies Hurt Black Americans.
