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| PRESIDENT CLINTON LAUNCHES FIRSTGOV: A SINGLE, EASY-TO-USE WEBSITE FOR |
| GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND INFORMATION |
| September 22, 2000 |
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Today, in an Internet address to the nation, President Clinton will
announce the launch of FirstGov ? the first-ever U.S. Government web site
that will provide the public with easy, one-stop access to all federal
government on-line information and services. This website - located at
www.firstgov.gov - provides a single online information portal that will
connect Americans with information and resources from all 27 million
federal agency web pages, one of the largest and most useful collection of
web pages in the world. A breakthrough in one-stop shopping for government
services, FirstGov will allow citizens to search all on-line U.S. Federal
Government resources from one site, conduct searches faster and more
efficiently by topic rather than by agency, and have easy access to federal
government information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Last June, the President first announced the concept of FirstGov in his
first-ever webcast address to the nation, challenging government and
industry to finish its creation within 90 days. Today, exactly 90 days
later, the President is announcing the launch of this site. Building on
President Clinton?s and Vice President Gore?s efforts to expand citizen
access to online government, FirstGov will cut red tape, make government
more responsive to the needs of citizens, and expand opportunities for
participation in our democracy.
CITIZENS CAN SEARCH ALL FEDERAL ONLINE RESOURCES FROM ONE SITE.
FirstGov brings the U.S. government closer to the American people -- giving
users one-stop access to crucial government information and services. With
the convenience of a single website, citizens can use FirstGov to apply for
student loans, plan for retirement, track Social Security benefits and get
advice on buying a first home or starting a small business. But, FirstGov
does not only provide access to information affecting major life decisions.
Citizens also can go to FirstGov to reserve a campsite in a national park,
arrange to watch a NASA shuttle launch, conduct research at the Library of
Congress or take an architectural tour of the National Gallery of Art.
Whether citizens want to plan a vacation, or an education, FirstGov can
connect them to the information and resources they need.
CITIZENS CAN SEARCH FOR BASIC INFORMATION FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY. With
a powerful search engine developed and donated by Internet entrepreneur
Eric Brewer, FirstGov allows users to search all 27 million Federal agency
web pages at one time. And it has plenty of room to grow. It can search
half a billion documents in less than one-quarter of a second and handle
millions of searches a day. To increase efficiency, FirstGov allows
citizens to find information intuitively -- by subject or by keyword.
Customer-focused and easy to use, FirstGov makes the government more
responsive to citizens? needs and expands their opportunity to participate
in our democracy. And this is just the beginning. With the use of a
citizen?s feedback page, FirstGov will continue to improve, becoming more
efficient and customer friendly.
CITIZENS HAVE ACCESS TO A GOVERNMENT THAT IS ALWAYS OPEN ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.
FirstGov gives users free access to government information and services 24
hours a day, 7 days a week -- cutting red tape, improving efficiency and
saving taxpayers? time and money. Also, FirstGov protects its users with
strong privacy standards that safeguard their on-line communications and
transactions with the government. FirstGov will not track or record
personal information about individuals and their visits, unless the user
chooses to provide such information.
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