Instant Mail?

Before long the U.S. Postal Service may have a way to overcome its reputation for late deliveries. The Postmaster General has announced tests of a transmission system that would convert messages to electronic impulses and use satellites, if necessary, to beam them to destination, reconverting them to print for delivery the next day. If the system works, he says, a large volume of messages could be sent for less than current first-class mail rates. He said that the system could begin limited operations within three years—if the government decides to back it.