[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 20257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                THE GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES WWW.FIRSTGOV.GOV

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, the Administration recently launched a new 
website, www.firstgov.gov. That website is the first all-government 
portal and will offer one stop information from over 20,000 separate 
federal websites. This promises to be a great tool. Throughout the 
country people will be able to download tax forms, read up on the 
status of legislation, better understand the Social Security system. 
But Mr. President, meaningful access to all of the important 
information depends on what side of the Digital Divide you find 
yourself. To benefit from websites like firstgov, you must have a 
computer and understand how to use it, and you must have an Internet 
connection with speeds fast enough to search databases, view graphics 
and download documents.
  As the demand for high speed Internet access grows, numerous 
companies are responding in areas of dense population. While urban 
America is quickly gaining high speed access, rural America is being 
left behind. Ensuring that all Americans have the technological 
capability is essential in this digital age. It is not only an issue of 
fairness, but it is also an issue of economic survival.
  To remedy the information gap between urban and rural America, I 
along with Senator Daschle introduced S. 2307, the Rural Broadband 
Enhancement Act, which gives new authority to the Rural Utilities 
Service to make low interest loans to companies that are deploying 
broadband technology to rural America.
  The Rural Utilities Service has helped before; it can help again. 
When we were faced with electrifying all of the country, we enacted the 
Rural Electrification Act. When telephone service was only being 
provided to well-populated communities, we expanded the Rural 
Electrification Act and created the Rural Utilities Service to oversee 
rural telephone deployment. The equitable deployment of broadband 
services is only the next step in keeping American connected, and our 
legislation would ensure that.
  If we fail to act, rural America will be left behind once again. As 
the economy moves further and further towards online transactions and 
communications, rural America must be able to participate. They must be 
able to start their own online business if they so desire and access 
information about government services efficiently.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to address 
this problem and to bring meaningful data access to all parts of this 
country.

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