On 2007-05-04 09:24:14 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
said:

In article ,
Andy Hall wrote:
I think we already know the answer to that question. People in
outlying areas would pay the true economic cost of the service.

That attitude is far reaching. Do you expect to pay more for electricity
the further you are from the generator? Etc.

Possibly.


A country *has* to be run on the basis that essential services are
reasonably uniform throughout.

The question then is what counts as essential. Postal service doesn't
really fall into that category, especially when there are much more
viable alternatives. If mail is delivered electronically, it can be
read when the recipient is anywhere in the world - far more useful.


Anything else would bring chaos.

I don't see why.


Of course
that doesn't stop big business trying to cherry pick the bits they want
purely for profit.

Nothing wrong with that. It's the best indication of what people
really want. If they are willing to pay, they really do. If they
are not willing to pay then one has to ask whether it is worth doing.