Postcomm (3): the USO

The afternoon section of this year's Postcomm London Forum, held earlier this week, consisted of a series of discussion panels. Postwatch's contribution came in the panel on the future of the universal service obligation.

Speaking for us, Council member Roger Darlington argued that there was no evidence of political or consumer wishes to make significant changes in the USO at the present time, but he acknowledged that falling mail volumes and loss of market share by Royal Mail was likely to make the funding of the USO increasingly problematic.