Federal on line information services

[patricia bonner <bonner.patricia@epa.gov>]

Here's another press release about new Internet service:
New Site Streamlines Online Government

By Spencer Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday , September 23, 2000 ; A05

President Clinton launched the federal government's first one-stop
portal to the World Wide Web yesterday, ushering in an era in which
people can do anything from track their Social Security benefits
to download tax forms with the convenience of a few clicks of a
mouse.

Visitors to http://www.firstgov.gov can use a powerful, privately
developed search engine to tap 20,000 U.S. government Internet
sites and 27 million pages of data.

"This cutting-edge site gives the American people the 'Information
Age' government they deserve," Clinton said on the site's welcome
page and during a live afternoon webcast, 90 days after he first
promised the service. "FirstGov allows users to browse a wealth of
information--everything from researching at the Library of Congress
to tracking a NASA mission."

Because virtually all government online resources are linked, users
can make reservations at a national park, for instance, at the same
time they apply for a student loan or review Medicare coverage
options.

"You can plan your vacation--you can plan your life," said David
J. Barram, administrator of the General Services Administration,
which will manage the site. "It's open 24 hours, seven days a week."

The portal's search engine, FedSearch, was developed and donated
by Eric Brewer, chief scientist of Inktomi Corp., an Internet
infrastructure developer based in Foster City, Calif.

Brewer said he mentioned the idea "in the minute or so I had" to
speak with the president at the 1999 World Economic Forum in
Switzerland. He estimated his costs at $5 million to $10 million.

"It's not clear to me what better way there is to have an informed
citizen than for citizens to have direct access to government,"
Brewer said. He said he founded Inktomi with research funded by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 1994, adding, "The
DARPA model always has been to help pay for research into technology
that will help America."

FedSearch can screen 500 million Web pages in less than one-quarter
of a second. The government is paying $4.1 million to a private
foundation set up by Brewer to maintain the site for three years,
after which the government can rebid or take over the arrangement.

FirstGov's privacy policy states that the government will collect
no personal information unless users choose to provide that
information in conducting business with agencies.

                                 © 2000 The Washington Post Company