ACE Friends:

FEDERAL PUBLIC-ACCESS  PROGRAMS:
Your brief suggestions are needed before we all leave for
the Holiday break.

Even a few recommendations or referrals would be very much
appreciated -- such as URL's, program titles, program
directors, etc!

We are compiling a preliminary list of federal programs
that A) provide the public with direct access to
government information and services and or B) either
directly or indirectly provide online-technology access.
This scan is part of ongoing OMB Watch work in this area
and is key to a report we are preparing.

Responses by December 21, 1998 will be _most_ appeciated:

1. TYPES OF REFERENCES
o Existing directories, reports, surveys, etc

o Major grant programs that support (directly or
indirectly) public access

o Specific examples from YOUR agency that we might miss

2. CATEGORIES:
a) Promotion of CONNECTIVITY: the physical components,
including hardware, software, wiring, and training.

b) Access to the INFORMATION PRODUCTS (records,
documents, databases, etc) of government through
electronic means.

c) Access to government BENEFITS AND SERVICES through
electronic means.

THE KINDS OF EXAMPLES WE NEED:
o Current ones (e.g., Social Security's PEBES) as well as
others that are still in development and are likely to
have an impact on access in one or more of the categories
outlined above;

o How benchmarking is being used to measure access;

o Examples of particular areas that could quickly be
improved or implemented.

Thank you very much for your assistance. (If you re-post
this to other lists, kindly let us know which lists those
are so that we can follow-up.)

We will post our findings on our Website -- and alert you
when they are available.
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Please forward your replys to:  Patrice McDermott
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Patrice McDermott
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OMB Watch