PUBLIC LAW 107-206—AUG. 2, 2002 116 STAT. 911 the Department of Transportation, connecting hundreds of rural and isolated communities within the State, is a critical piece of the Alaska and the national transportation system. The system is like a 4-legged stool, designed to— (A) provide the most affordable means of delivering food and everyday necessities to these rural and isolated communities; (B) establish a system whereby the Postal Service can meet its obligations to deliver mail to every house and business in the United States; (C) support affordable and reliable passenger service; and (D) support affordable and reliable nonmail freight service. (10) Without the Intra-Alaska Bypass Mail system— (A) it would be difficult and more expensive for the Postal Service to meet its obligation of delivering mail to every house and business in the United States; and (B) food, medicine, freight, and everyday necessities and passenger service for these rural and isolated communities would cost several times the current level. (11) Attempts by Congress to support passenger and nonmail freight service in Alaska using the Intra-Alaska Bypass Mail system have yielded some positive results, but some carriers have been manipulating the system by carrying few, if any, passengers and little nonmail freight while earning most of their revenues from the carriage of nonpriority bypass mail, (12) As long as the Federal Government continues to own large tracts of land within the State of Alaska which impede access to isolated communities, it is in the best interest of the Postal Service, the residents of Alaska and the United States— (A) to ensure that the Intra-Alaska Bypass Mail system remains strong, viable, and affordable for the Postal Service; (B) to ensure that residents of rural and isolated communities in Alaska continue to have affordable, reliable, and safe passenger service; (C) to ensure that residents of rural and isolated communities in Alaska continue to have affordable, reliable, and safe nonmail freight service; (D) to encourage that intra-Alaska air carriers move toward safer, more secure, and more reliable air transportation under the Federal Aviation Administration's guidelines and in accordance with part 121 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, where such operations are supported by the needs of the community; and (E) that Congress, pursuant to the authority granted under Article I, section 8 of the United States Constitution to establish Post Offices and post roads, make changes to ensure that the Intra-Alaska Bypass Mail system continues to be used to support substantial passenger and nonmail freight service and to reduce costs for the Postal Service. (c) SELECTION OF CARRIERS OF NONPRIORITY BYPASS MAIL TO CERTAIN POINTS IN ALASKA.— 99-194 0-03 -5:QL3Part2
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