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anthrax attacks place the security of postal services on the front
line in the war against terrorism. The good news is that this threat
is being dealt with quickly, not only by law enforcement and U.S.
Postal Service officials but also by the private sector. But the
threats likely will hasten changes already occurring in America's
postal delivery and communications infrastructure — changes
good for consumers and the economy.
Let's put the
situation in perspective. The USPS processes some 680 million pieces
of mail every day. So far, less than a dozen envelopes have possibly
contained the bacteria anthrax. That means, fortunately, that the
chances of most people receiving such infective missives are as
microscopic as those deadly anthrax spores. Further, the envelopes
have been targeted at news organizations, elected officials and
businesses. This suggests that the average citizen probably need
not worry about plagues in the mailbox.
The threat
can be further isolated. So far it seems that only pre-stamped envelopes
that one might purchase at a post office have been used to send
anthrax. Such envelopes are difficult to trace to a sender. That's
why terrorists use them. And all businesses and likely targets of
attacks already are dealing with the threat. For example, the American
Society of Association Executives has supplied their 25,000 members
who represent trade and professional organizations with information
on how to spot suspect mail and what to do with it. Further, various
mail handlers are exploring ways to deal with this threat. "Sniffer"
machines, for instance, could be used to detect dangerous biological
contaminants. Or the mail might be irradiated. Many vegetables are
routinely zapped to kill harmful bacteria. Gamma irradiation of
the mail would kill not only anthrax but also smallpox and every
other bacterial threat.
Private companies
especially are in the forefront of postal security. For example,
Pitney Bowes, which makes many of the mail metering machines, manages
some 1,300 mailrooms for businesses, including over 40 percent of
the Fortune 500 companies, and even for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Pitney offers special mailroom-security services, for example, to
scan packages for bombs. But only 5 percent of businesses use that
service. No doubt that number will rise in the future as such companies
add packages to protect against biological dangers.
While stamped
envelopes have been used in the anthrax attacks, mail with postage
that is affixed by a metering machine or by a PC and printer through
an online postage venting company like E-stamp have not — so
far. This is no doubt because sending such mail requires an account
that one can trace to the sender. Counterfeiting such postmarks
is difficult. If it weren't, people would be forging them regularly,
stealing postage from machines, and driving companies selling such
machines and services out of business.
These facts
point to a trend that likely will accelerate. Businesses use electronic
mail metering because it is more efficient than sticking stamps
on every piece of mail. And individuals not only can purchase postage
online, they can also purchase a personal postage metering-machine
for $20 at any Office Depot. In the future companies will offer
packages that will allow people to customize and personalize mail
even more, putting logos or photographs on envelopes.
There will
be other incentives for private individuals to abandon stamps for
machine-processed mail. It makes sense for consumers and businesses
to have a more integrated delivery and communications system. In
other words, your e-mail account could be tied to your home address,
which could be linked to your bank account when you want to quickly
order and pay for an item to be shipped to your home. Perhaps you'll
want to track your incoming or outgoing mail to make certain it
reaches you or its destination. United Parcel Service and other
private companies already offer such services. (And perhaps you
will refuse any mail that does not have a tracking number and thus
could carry some threat to you.)
Private companies
are shaping this new postal world. To have the flexibility both
to protect the public from dangerous mail and to provide such new
services, the government-owned U.S. Postal Service needs to be transformed
into a private company, as well. Before the September 11 attacks
the USPS was sick. The anthrax attacks could weaken it further.
To regain its health, the Postal Service must be immunized by becoming
a private company.
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