USPS began looking into
electronic mail in 1977. E-COM services began on January 4, 1982, and the original rates were 26 cents for the first page plus 2 cents for the second page for each transmission. In addition, there was an annual fee of $50 for the service. During its inaugural year of service, 3.2 million E-COM messages were sent, and more than 600 customers submitted applications for the service. Federal law prohibits the USPS from subsidizing a mail class by overcharging the users of other mail classes; however, E-COM was heavily
subsidized from its introduction. During its first year of operation, the USPS lost $5.25 per letter. The
House Government Operations Committee indicated that "The Postal Service deliberately manipulates the release of information about E-COM in order to make E-COM appear to be more successful than it really is." On June 18-21, 1982, the
Joint Subcommittee on Economic Goals and Intergovernmental policy, held a hearing on the future of mail delivery in the United States, and whether the U.S. Postal Service should be prevented from competing with the numerous commercial electronic mail providers, then in operation. Subsequent to this, there were difficulties in securing approval for a competitive and profitable rate for the service, Another service, INTELPOST, the Postal Service's international electronic mail venture beginning in 1980 which provided a high-speed
facsimile copy service between continents and was also shut down in the mid 1980s. == Legacy ==