Action Plan for the Future March 2010(pdf)
For over 200 years, the Postal Service has fulfilled its mission to deliver trusted, affordable service to the nation. Its business model worked well because mail volume increased steadily as the nation grew. In recent years, however, as customer preferences have rapidly evolved and new technology has changed how Americans communicate and transact business, the model has faltered. Mail volume, instead of increasing, is declining dramatically, even as the cost of delivering mail to an expanding number of addresses continues to grow. As a result, the Postal Service’s ongoing ability to finance universal service is at great risk.