I urge you to immediately write on your association letterhead to encourage the United States Postal Service to make available its proposed new "Neighborhood Mail" service.

Neighborhood Mail would be a new third class rate of about 12 cents for each piece of mail delivered to every address on a carrier route (i.e., the last four digits of a 9-digit zip code), without name and street number addressing. Two-day delivery is expected.

The offering of Neighborhood Mail is in jeopardy because the USPS encountered stiff resistance from parts of the direct mail marketing industry arguing that such a service may represent government directly competing with private industry. Proponents argue that Neighborhood Mail is simply a mail delivery service, tailored to neighborhoods.

According to the USPS "Postal News Highlights", September 1995, market tests of Neighborhood Mail are slated for Rochester, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Sacramento, "early in the year [1996] after we have heard comments from all interested parties" . They apparently have received little or no input from neighborhood organizations like us, perhaps because the service was originally conceived as benefiting primarily "small local businesses", and related business organizations with whom they have been in contact.

All neighborhood organizations and property management companies are urged to immediately write to the USPS, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President Loren Smith, Washington DC 20260-5147, asking for a written response:

1. Urge the USPS to make available its proposed "Neighborhood Mail" service nationally.
2. Impress upon the USPS the value and importance that "Neighborhood Mail" would have for your membership: more frequent and timely postal communications to improve member awareness and participation in the affairs of your community organization, and any other benefits you can mention.
3. Ask the USPS to register your organization as an "interested party" to be notified of all opportunities for formal comment on pending USPS decisions to launch the Neighborhood Mail service nationally.
4. If you are in the test market areas, ask to be told how you can participate in the tests.
5. Be sure to send copies of your USPS letters also to your respective federal congressional Representative and Senators expressing support for "Neighborhood Mail", because the USPS decision will be subject to congressional oversight.
6. Encourage all other neighborhood-oriented organizations also to write, such as neighborhood schools, recreation councils, volunteer fire and rescue units, etc.

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