FCC Hearing on Library E-Rate Program
The FCC will hold a public hearing May 8 on the topic of compliance and oversight for the fraud-ridden e-rate program for libraries.
Category «E-Government»
Software to Test Country Specific Net Censorship
This Wired article highlights a software initiative developed by the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, called Internet Censorship Explorer (ICE). “ICE demonstrates state-sponsored content filtering and blocking by delivering the content of blocked URLs to end users. After completing a query form, ICE will attempt to access the …
Gov't Websites Attract Growing Number of Users
According to a new survey by Nielsen//NetRatings, almost 45 percent of Internet users accessed federal government websites in February 2003, which accounted for a 26 percent increase in web traffic from December 2002. The Treasury Department’s site experienced a 176 percent increase in traffic in the past three months (although not clearly indicated, I believe …
Launch of Fast Facts for Congress Website
Yesterday the U.S. Census Bureau launched a new website, Fast Facts for Congress, that “provides highlights from Census Bureau sources of economic and demographic data for the U.S., states, counties, and congressional districts of the 108th Congress.” Users may search for data by State, District, or County.
Government Launches New Website for Visas
UnitedStatesVisas.gov, the “official source of information about U.S. visa policy and procedures,” was launched today. Currently available only in English, the site will soon add the following five languages: French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese. There are links to information on: U.S. Visa Policy, How to Get a Visa, Visa News, and How to Locate …
Parolee Database Available from Georgia
Georgia State Senator Eric Johnson spearheaded the “Know Thy Neighbor Act” in 1997 which required that the Board of Pardons and Paroles create an online database through which citizens could ascertain the addresses and respective crimes of the state’s parolees. The Geogia Parolee Database is now available on the web, and users may access information …
Courts and Webcasting
The West Virginia Supreme Court Clerk, Rory Perry, has created a list of appellate and trial courts that webcast oral arguments, and make them available either live or archived.
GAO Report on OMB's E-Gov Initiatives
Electronic Government: Success of the Office of Management and Budget’s 25 Initiatives Depends on Effective Management and Oversight, by Joel C. Willemssen, managing director, information technology, before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, House Committee on Government Reform. GAO-03-495T, March 13. The report Highlights are here. From CIO Magazine’s March …
Gov't Portal Wins Accolades
The Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University has included the government web portal FirstGov among its fifteen finalists for the 16th Annual Innovations Awards.
EU Response to U.S. Demand for Passenger Data
From StateWatch, this report (PDF) from the European Parliament’s Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms expressing strong concerns about the collection and use of EU passenger data by the INS and TSA. See also How US Customs bounced the European Commission into a quick decision.
New E-Gov Site Not Ready for Prime Time
The launch of the Official Web Site of the President’s E-Government Initiatives seems hobbled by broken links and icons that do not load. Maybe this site is still a work in progress?
New Campaign Website Launched by LC
Commissioned by the Library of Congress, a terrific new site called PoliticalWeb.info that provides access to the largest and most comprehensive digital collection of resources ever published on the U.S. campaign and election process. See the press release about last week’s launch of the site here. Among the resources available are a chart indicating the …
