Postal inspector-general report on rural service could help rural areas and their papers stave off post-office closures

Office of Inspector General graphic, adapted by The Rural Blog

The U.S. Postal Service makes rural newspaper publishers gnash their teeth, but its Office of Inspector General has given the papers some ammunition to use as they lobby Congress.

Amid concern that USPS will close more rural post offices because they lose money, the OIG issued a summary of its recent reports on rural service this week, along with a handy graphic.

"We found nearly two-thirds of post offices in rural areas cost more to run than the revenue they bring in. In contrast, only around 7 percent of urban post offices have costs that exceed their revenues," the summary said, adding, "The law protects postal services in rural areas by prohibiting the Postal Service from closing small post offices just because they operate at a deficit."

Nevertheless, "USPS does regularly close rural post offices and cites other reasons," National Newspaper Association Public Policy Director Tonda Rush told The Rural Blog. "USPS is going to close more post offices and subject many more to radical changes as it introduces new sorting and delivery centers, which will cause letter carriers to shift their home base to a central, regional facility."

Congress will decide these issues, and NNA and  its Postal Committee "already have procedures in place to work out as much disruption as possible for newspapers," Rush said.

The OIG summary and graphic both have a pointed last line: "By law, the Postal Service is allowed to ask Congress for up to $460 million annually to cover the cost of providing rural service. But it has not requested these funds since 1982."