The Internet has been described by William Gibson, creator of the term “cyberspace,” as “...nothing less than this nation’s last and best hope of providing something like a level socio-economic playing field for a true majority of its citizens.” Others have asked if Web sites are nothing more than “...monuments to bureaucratic egos.” As with most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in between. (Harris, 1995)

Electronic networks have become an increasingly important means of communicating in our society. The World Wide Web has progressed almost overnight from a scientific endeavor to the next supposed “revolution” in world history. A few years ago, government agencies used networks to simply transfer data and text. Today the Web is quickly becoming the second home of federal, state and local government information. The “electronic town hall” is popping up everywhere. Internet-based government services can be accessed by customers 24 hours per day through commercial network services such as America Online or CompuServe, or through community networks. However, there is very little experience to date in using the Web as a service delivery channel and the traditional methods that agencies use to define, design, and develop information systems may not work in this highly public, networked environment.

Many public sector organizations are experiencing pressure to develop a Web “presence” on the Internet. In some cases, the pressure comes from the program staff who see an opportunity to enhance existing services or to deliver new services to customers. In others, it comes from the technical staff who see the possibilities afforded by these new technologies. In still other cases the pressure comes from agency leaders who see the importance of opening this new door to the public. In the ideal case, it is driven by all three: agency leaders, program staff, and technical staff working together with a shared vision of the opportunity and a shared understanding of the costs and risks.

What can government expect to do on the Web? Which services currently provided in person, through the mail, and over the telephone may become electronic services? How much business will move to the net? Will duplication remain a problem? Steven Clift, Director of Minnesota’s Northstar public access project, suggests a long list of services that state, federal, and local governments can provide over the Web. (Clift, 1996)

State

• Personal income tax filing
• Voter registration
• Motor vehicle and drivers license registration
• State park reservations
• Higher education class registration
• Job services, including job searches and training
• Birth and death records
• Occupational licensing

Federal

• Income tax filing
• Post office transactions, change of address etc.
• Social security and passport applications
• Medicare and Medicaid benefits
• Housing and loan programs

Local

• Library cards
• Pet licenses
• Payment of city fees or fines
• Property taxes
• Building permits
• K-12 school needs
• City ordinance permits

While these lists are not exhaustive, they do illustrate the wide variety of service options that the Web offers government. Citizens using these services would no longer be constrained by regular business hours and would be able to save the time of visiting various offices. Government saves by receiving information in structured digital form, thus reducing duplication and labor intensive processing. In the face of shrinking budgets, a technology that offers so much potential value has enormous appeal to government, citizens, and businesses alike.

Certainly the Web has the power to alter the way government interacts with the public. Everyone can tell a story about visiting five offices only to be told they must return to the first office they visited to fill out a form that the last office visited needs. The vision of government services on the Web would eliminate this seemingly age old problem. Everyone from job seekers, to drivers renewing licenses, to entrepreneurs looking for a business permit would simply go to one central point in cyberspace and fill out the proper electronic form. The relevant information would be dispersed to the various agencies involved in the transaction and all services would be provided electronically. In New York State, the Governor’s Task Force on Information Resource Management is investigating an interface to government services through a “life-events” scenario, first introduced by the US Postal Service. Using this kind of interface, you could activate a button called “Recently Moved into the Area” and be prompted through a set of interactive screens that would allow you to register a car, contact the local schools, and learn more about your new community. While full implementation of this idea may be years away, the technology to build it is here today.

Proposing and establishing a Web service is much more than arranging the proper technologies. Management and policy decisions are just as important to success or failure. According to Rick Schremp of the University of Colorado, “The thing we have to start recognizing is that cyberspace must be content-driven rather than technology-driven.” (Harris, 1995) The issue here is not whether the technology is available to accomplish such a vision—it is here, or at least coming very quickly. The more difficult and fundamental question lies elsewhere—do we have or can we develop policies, management tools, information products, organizational structures, and business processes to take advantage of this technology and direct its use to achieve important public goals? Will departments be willing to share pertinent and timely information? Will agencies be willing to relinquish solitary control over programs? Can traditional hiring and training practices allow the public work force to acquire and maintain new skills? Can information itself substitute for the person across the counter?

Government must also face the realities of regulating the use of this new medium. As access to the Internet increases so do the security risks. Every day, government deals with sensitive data regarding millions of citizens. As more and more agencies connect to the Web this information is potentially available to those never intended to access it.

Other issues go well beyond security. The printed word now exists in a new medium which many of our laws and accepted practices do not contemplate. “Sunshine” laws may need revision. Copyright takes on a new meaning in cyberspace. You need only envision a public library that functions online to imagine all the difficulties that emerge with traditional notions of intellectual property.

Cost is another significant issue. A recent discussion on a government publications listserv focused on the cost of developing and managing a Web site. The reported cost of development ranged from $2,500 to $500,000. (Evans, 1995) Annual operating costs fell into an even broader range. Clearly, too little is known about how to estimate and manage the costs of Web-based services.

Rick Schremp argues that “Cyberspace isn’t a technology problem. It’s the solution that will enable government to continue to economically deliver vital services like education, social services, and adequate health care while making the interface between government and citizens easier and more rapid no matter where those citizens happen to live.” This brave new world of government service delivery may well come to pass, but it will demand significant changes in policies, practices, and expectations.