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People and Their Governments in the Information Agewriting

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1995-05-14 · 4 min read · Edit on Pyrite

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People and Their Governments in the Information Age

``` [I wish people wouldn't strip the headers off of messages they forward. Needless to say, this does not originate with me but with fedworld. Addresses for more information are included below.]

NATIONWIDE ELECTRONIC OPEN MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENTS IN THE INFORMATION AGE

NATIONAL ELECTRONIC OPEN MEETING May 1-14, 1995

CALL FOR PUBLIC ACCESS SITES

BACKGROUND:

In recognition of the growing importance of information technology as a means for communication and participation in democratic government, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the National Technical Information Service's (NTIS) FedWorld, and the National Performance Review (NPR) will be sponsoring an electronic open meeting entitled "People and Their Governments in the Information Age," from Monday, May 1 to Sunday, May 14, 1995. The US Government Printing Office (GPO) will assist by providing telephone registration for Public Access Sites and preconference information.

The meeting will seek to garner public opinion on the use of information technology by Federal, State, Tribal and local governments. The electronic open meeting will encourage public discussion about the respective roles of the Federal government, State, Tribal, and local governments, industry, the public interest and library communities, academia, and the general citizenry in creating an electronic government.

One of the fundamental tenets of the Clinton Administration is that government information is a public asset and valuable national resource. This open meeting is an extension of earlier efforts, such as the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) initiative, to establish a framework for governments' roles and activities in the information age. In early April, OMB will publish a "Notice of Inquiry" in the Federal Register setting forth the five topics mentioned below, referencing key reports and other documents, and seeking comment.

Along with the traditional method of mailing in responses to a "Notice of Inquiry," the open meeting will be conducted through our nation's electronic networks including: the World Wide Web, newsgroups, e-mail listservs (mailing lists), commercial on-line providers, Public Access Sites, and dial-up bulletin board connections.

HOW THE CONFERENCE WILL BE CONDUCTED:

FedWorld will create five e-mail discussion groups. The five discussion groups will also be accessible through five corresponding Internet newsgroups, the World Wide Web, and dial-up bulletin board connection. Each discussion group will be devoted to a specific topic relating to "People and their Governments in the Information Age." Each topic will be hosted by one or more experts, who will provide an introductory statement to initiate the discussion and who will also take part in the discussion.

Attendees will participate in the conference by replying to the hosts' introductory statements, posting statements or comments, and by replying to the statements and comments of other attendees. We are seeking the broadest possible level of participation emphasizing input from a wide spectrum of Americans. The open meeting will focus on five topics:

Services -- from emergency help and health care to business licenses.

Benefits -- from social security and food stamps to small business grants.

Information -- from declassified secrets and travel aids to satellite weather maps.

Participatory Democracy -- ensuring everyone's chance to be heard in a democracy.

Technology -- how the technical portion of electronic government will work.

NEED FOR PUBLIC ACCESS SITES:

A primary goal of the meeting is to enable as many Americans as possible to participate in the dialogue. This includes people who do not have a computer with a modem, or access to the Internet. In order to ensure participation by the "unconnected," public and private organizations are needed to volunteer as "Public Access Sites."

The following criteria will apply to institutions interested in serving as a Public Access Site:

* Willingness and ability to make computer facilities available, free-of-charge, to the general public on a full- or part-time basis throughout the two-week meeting, and to provide logistical and technical support to the public.* Ability to access Internet e-mail, newsgroups, or the World Wide Web. Public Access Sites should not use Telnet to access the FedWorld bulletin board. Because the number of access ports at FedWorld is finite, FedWorld prefers to reserve dial-in and Telnet capacity for individuals who seek to use the FedWorld BBS as their primary means of participating.* Willingness and ability to publicize your institution's participation as a Public Access Site to the local media and community, and answer local public and press questions about participation.* Willingness to be listed in a national directory of Public Access Sites that will be made available to the public and press, before and during the meeting.

If your institution would like to serve as a Public Access Site, please do one of the following:

Point your World Wide Web browser to:

http://meeting.fedworld.gov

Or, send a blank e-mail message to:

pas-info@meeting.fedworld.gov

In response to your e-mail, you will receive an automated response detailing how to register as a Public Access Site. If you do not presently have e-mail, newsgroup, or World Wide Web capability but plan on having such capability by the time of the meeting, you may register as a Public Access Site or receive general end user information by calling the GPO Access User Support Team at (202) 512-1530.

If you would like more information about the content and format of the meeting, please send a blank e-mail message to info@meeting.fedworld.gov. You will receive an automated response providing additional detail for the electronic open meeting.

Thank you for your interest in making this meeting more accessible to the public! ```

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