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From: tannerr@prism.cs.orst.edu (Ryan Tanner)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Idea to help curb unwanted junk mail
Message-ID: <1991Jun23.124308.25276@lynx.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 23 Jun 91 12:43:08 GMT
References: <14713.28453476@fidogate.FIDONET.ORG> <1991Jun12.224050.9098@midway.uchicago.edu> <1991Jun13.042624.17037@athena.cs.uga.edu> <1991Jun14.163229.13916@xn.ll.mit.edu>
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In <1991Jun14.163229.13916@xn.ll.mit.edu> olsen@xn.ll.mit.edu writes:

>>>I read that the PO is required to set prices so that each class of
>>>mail breaks even.

>>Before that requirement was imposed by Congress, first class mail was
>>actually subsidizing junk mail!  Or so I'm told.

>What I read is that first-class mail (the PO's monopoly) has subsidized
>the other classes for quite some time, and continues to do so.  The
>law used to require each class to break even, but the PO routinely
>ignored this requirement.  When someone took them to court in order
>to force them to comply, they got Congress to change the law, removing
>the requirement (or, actually, making it unenforceable).

>This actually makes sense, from the PO's (and postal union's) point of
>view.  If you have a legally-mandated monopoly, you should squeeze
>every last penny you can out of it, even if you have to juggle the
>books to do so.

>--
>Jim Olsen          olsen@mit.edu


Aren't some mail classes subsidized, such as Book rate?  Congress orginally
setup book rate to encourage the transfer of books and magnetic media.
By the way, does anyone know if floppies can be shipped book rate?

Ryan (tannerr@prism.cs.orst.edu)