"The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service has fallen behind in generating revenue from new applications of information technology, such as switching to a FedEx-like tracking system, selling USPS data to mailers and charging local governments to issue various citizen identification credentials at post offices, says the agency's independent regulator. One of the biggest challenges in realizing benefits from IT has been how to expand the use of the so-called intelligent mail barcode -- a series of lines printed on commercial letters and packages that computers scan to identify each parcel as it moves through the processing system. The tool also can measure the amount of time it takes to process items. "I think we're all a bit frustrated that the IMB has taken much longer than we thought to be implemented," said commission Chairwoman Ruth Goldway in an interview with Nextgov. "But we still see its potential . . . as a service that will give the Postal Service a vast array of data and control over the mail stream."
