E-COM: The time the USPS spent $40M subsidizing junk (e)mail

a year ago

The USPS introduced E-COM in 1982 to print and deliver emails for people without computers.
E-COM allowed sending messages via terminals to post offices, which printed and mailed them.
The service faced legal and bureaucratic hurdles, including FCC restrictions and high costs.
Despite early adoption by some companies, E-COM was primarily used by junk mailers.
The USPS shut down E-COM in 1985 after losing over $40 million.
Mail volume peaked in 2001 but has since declined due to digital communication.
The term 'e-mail' was popularized during the E-COM era, later losing its hyphen.

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