THE DMA APPLAUDS PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON USPS

NEW YORK, JULY 23, 2003 – The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) today applauded the President's Commission on the United States Postal Service (USPS) for presenting a serious examination of the problems facing the Postal Service and advancing reasoned recommendations to correct them.

"We thank President Bush and the commission he assembled for their exceptional work on this very important issue," said H. Robert Wientzen, president and CEO, The DMA. "Now it’s time to implement significant postal reform that will ensure the viability of the U.S. Postal Service for years to come."

"We understand that the various interested parties aren't going to agree on every specific recommendation," noted Wientzen. "Nonetheless, we believe that the commission's work will form the basis from which we all can move forward towards the implementation of necessary postal reform."

"Every day of delay in achieving meaningful postal reform is another day of instability, higher-than-necessary rates, and burdens on the entire postal community," said Wientzen. "We look forward to working with all interested parties – employee groups, management, Congress, and the Administration – to ensure that the Postal Service will not only meet, but conquer the challenges of the rapidly evolving communications and delivery marketplace and guarantee that its founding mission to provide universal service to all Americans remains intact."

The DMA will reserve final comment and analysis of the commission's recommendations after it presents its formal report to the White House. Nonetheless, The DMA applauds all who have contributed to this vital undertaking.

The DMA is the leading trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 other nations. Founded in 1917, its members include direct marketers from every business segment as well as the nonprofit and electronic marketing sectors. Included are catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, industrial manufacturers and a host of other vertical segments, including the service industries that support them. According to a DMA-commissioned study, direct and interactive marketing sales in the United States exceeded $1.86 trillion in 2001, including $118 billion in catalog sales and $30 billion in sales generated by the Internet. The DMA's Web site is www.the-dma.org, and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.

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