Dems ask watchdog to examine any link between rural broadband access and poor USPS service

A pair of Democratic senators who have been critical of the U.S. Postal Service's reduced hours and longer delivery times in rural areas have asked the Government Accountability Office "to examine whether there's a link between access to broadband and poor service," Bernie Becker reports for The Hill. "Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), both strong supporters of strong rural postal service, said that rural residents had a greater need for efficient mail delivery—in large part because they have less access to broadband."

McCaskill and Heitkamp wrote in a letter to the Government Accountability Office: "Without efficient service from USPS, rural Americans are put at a significant economic and personal disadvantage. The planning and execution of the USPS' restructuring have raised some troubling questions and had a disproportionate impact on the nation's rural communities." (Read more)