GPO and eGovernment Act Implementation

1. GPO and eGovernment Act Implementation Gretchen Schlag, Director Program Planning & Coordination Service U.S. Government Printing Office Presentation for FLICC February 2, 2005

2. eGov Act Objectives • Enhance the management and promotion of electronic Government services and processes • Establish a broad framework of measures that require using Internet-based information technology to enhance citizen access to Government information and services eGovernment Act codified at: 44 USC 36

3. GPO Implementation Participation • Title II: Federal Management and Promotion of Electronic Government Services • §207 – Accessibility, Usability, and Preservation of Government Information • §213 – Community Technology Centers • §215 – Disparities in Access to the Internet

4. Interagency Committee on Government Information (ICGI) Working Groups • Categorization of Government Information (CGI) • Representation from all 3 branches of government • Cataloging and related issues • eGov Access • Representation from more than 10 agencies • Co-chaired by GPO and GSA

5. §207: Accessibility, Usability, and Preservation of Government Information • Purpose: • improve the methods by which Government information, including information on the Internet, is organized, preserved, and made accessible to the public

6. One CGI WG Objective • Define categories of U.S. Federal Government information that should be classified • GPO lead agency

7. Definition Requirements • Enhance public access to Government information resources • Render a predictable level of granularity among search returns from decentralized data sources • Executable mandate for Government entities • Compatible with existing information characterization and retrieval mechanisms • Flexibility to accommodate technological advances

8. Established Focus Information Products: • Of interest to the public • Produced by the U.S. Federal Government • Produced for the U.S. Federal Government

9. Definition Includes • Information created or exchanged within agencies • Information created or exchanged between agencies • Information that is or may be subject to FOIA requests

10. Recommended Definition Categorizable Government Information means: “Any information product, regardless of form or format, that a U.S. Federal agency discloses, publishes, disseminates, or makes available to the public, as well as information produced for administrative or operational purposes that is of public interest or educational value. This includes information created or exchanged within or between agencies. Not included are Federal government information holdings explicitly provided in law as so constrained in access that even a reference to the holding is kept from public view for a specified period of time.”

11. §207: Current Status • Final recommendations delivered to OMB December 16, 2004 • OMB has 1 year to issue policies – • Requiring agencies to use categorization and organization standards • Defining categories of Government information • Determining priorities and implementation schedules for standards

12. §213 and §215 • GPO co-chair with GSA • eGov Access Working Group • §213 work in early stages • §215 completed

13. §213: Community Technology Centers • Purposes: • To study and enhance the effectiveness of community technology centers, public libraries, and other institutions (Federal depository libraries) that provide computer technology and Internet access to the public • Promote awareness of the availability on online government information and services to users of community technology centers, public libraries, and other institutions (Federal depository libraries) that provide computer technology and Internet access to the public

14. CTCs Defined • Local gathering places established to help bridge the digital divide by providing access to computers, technology, and technology-based educational learning activities to low income, rural, and minority populations. They promote the application of technology that will help people gain computer skills, opening the door for economic opportunities and empower underserved communities.

15. Description of CTCs, Federal depository and public libraries What they do Who they serve Services they provide Use of govt services/pubs Geographic representation Identification of common or promising practices for delivery of govt information and services Accessibility Hours Interconnected Staff to visitor ratio Training Collection maintenance Evaluation Report Outline

16. §213: Current Status • Work in early stages • Schedule: • Draft report 2/10/2005 • Submit report to OMB 3/2/2005 • Submit report to Congress 4/17/2005

17. §215: Disparities in Accessto the Internet • Study on disparities in Internet access for online Government services • Report contents • How disparities of Internet access influence the effectiveness of online Government services • How diffusion of technology may offset adverse influences of disparities of Internet access • Societal effects of disparities in Internet access and increase in online Government services

21. Report to Congress Recommendations • Coordination of Federal Internet disparities activities • Support affordable broadband services • Channel management: • Reinforce traditional methods of access • Drive market uptake of eGov • Recognize fragile funding of library Internet access programs

22. Report to Congress Recommendations (continued) • Expand Computers for Learning Program to include public libraries • Determine the total efforts to provide Internet access • Follow-on study area

23. §215: Current Status • Report “Closing the Gap On Disparities in Access to the Internet” submitted to Congress, December 17, 2004 • Senate Governmental Affairs Committee • House Government Reform Committee

24. Questions? Comments? Gretchen Schlag gschlag@gpo.gov