[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 26 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Pages 1479-1480]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Internet Webcast

June 24, 2000

    Good morning. Here in America, a revolution in technology is 
underway. It is more than a time of innovation; it's a time of 
fundamental transformation, the kind that happens, at most, every 
hundred years. Today, in my first Saturday webcast, I'd like to speak to 
you about how we can seize the potential of this information revolution 
to widen the circle of our democracy and make our Government much more 
responsive to the needs of our citizens.
    Early in our history, people often had only one option when they 
needed the help of the National Government. They had to visit a 
Government office and stand in line. Indeed, as Vice President Gore has 
pointed out, after the Civil War the only way our veterans could collect 
their pensions was by traveling all the way to Washington, DC, and 
waiting for a clerk to dig out their war records. Those war records were 
actually bound in red tape. That gave rise to the universal symbol of 
bureaucratic delay that has existed down to the present day.
    Thankfully, things have gotten a lot easier for citizens over the 
years. In recent years, advances in computing and information technology 
have led to remarkable gains. Under the leadership of Vice President 
Gore, we have greatly expanded the spread of information technology 
throughout the Government, cutting reams of redtape, putting vast 
resources at the fingertips of all of our citizens. Citizens now are 
using Government websites to file their taxes, compare their Medicare 
options, apply for student loans, and find good jobs. They're tapping 
into the latest health research and browsing vast collections in the 
Library of Congress and following along with NASA's missions in outer 
space. This is just the beginning.
    Today I'm pleased to announce several major steps in our efforts to 
go forward in creating a high-speed, high-tech, user-friendly 
Government. First, we're going to give our citizens a single, customer-
focused website where they can find every on-line resource offered by 
the Federal Government.
    This new website, FirstGov.gov, will be created at no cost to the 
Government by a team led by Eric Brewer, who developed one of the most 
successful Internet search technologies with the help of Government 
grants. In the spirit of cutting through redtape, this new website will 
be created in 90 days or less. It will uphold the highest standards for 
protecting the privacy of its users.
    When it's complete, FirstGov will serve as a single point of entry 
to one of the largest, perhaps the most useful collection of webpages in 
the entire world. Whether you want crucial information in starting a 
small business or you want to track your Social Security benefits, you 
can do it all in one place, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
    Second, now that we're poised to create one-stop shopping for 
Government services, we'll also greatly expand the scope of those 
services. Increasingly, we'll give our citizens not only the ability to 
send and receive information but also to conduct sophisticated 
transactions on-line.
    For example, this year the Federal Government will award about $300 
billion in grants and buy $200 billion in goods and services. Over the 
coming year, we will make it possible for people to go on-line and 
compete for these grants and contracts through a simplified electronic 
process. Moving this enormous volume of business on-line will save a 
great deal of money and time for our taxpayers. It will also expand 
opportunities for community groups, small businesses, and

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citizens who never before have had a chance to show what they can do.
    Third, in conjunction with the nonprofit Council for Excellence in 
Government, we're launching a major competition to spur new innovative 
ideas for how Government can serve and connect with our citizens 
electronically. The Council will award up to $50,000 to those students, 
researchers, private sector workers, or Government employees who present 
the most creative ideas.
    In the early years of our Republic, Thomas Jefferson said, 
``America's institutions must move forward hand in hand with the 
progress of the human mind.'' Well, today, the progress of the human 
mind is certainly racing forward at breakneck speed. If we work 
together, we can ensure that our democratic institutions keep pace. With 
your help, we can build a more perfect, more responsive democracy for 
the information age.
    Thanks for listening.

 Note:  The President's webcast was recorded at 3:15 p.m. on June 23 at 
a private residence in Los Angeles, CA, for broadcast at 10 a.m. on June 
24. In his remarks, he referred to Eric Brewer, cofounder, Inktomi. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
June 23 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.