Since March 2020, they've had sig. confirmation split into two separate and distinct services. I asked about this when an extra prompt came up on the screen, between the liquid/fragile/perishable question and the one where you confirm the shipping address (which is also relatively new). The new prompt asks if you want to do electronic sig. confirmation, to which I always answer no, because as you pointed out, the postal carrier just verifies it him/herself, and leaves the package wherever the hell. So obviously, a total waste of money. They still offer traditional sig. confirmation, but it costs extra (which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one), $3.45 as opposed to $2.90 for the electronic one that does nothing. I still find it very useful to make sure that the stuff actually gets to the recipient, and if they slack off and don't deliver it properly and the thing gets lost, having the sig. confirmation (the real one) virtually guarantees a successful claim.
As for this new "requirement," I've never heard of such a thing, but considering the way USPS is going, I wouldn't put anything past them. Hell, they just raised prices four months earlier than they usually do, and didn't even bother to tell anyone! Eventually, it will get to the point where it will be cheaper for everyone to hand-deliver everything themselves, even if the customer is in Bhutan. Crazy.
