http://www.firstgov.gov

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 Your first click to the U.S. Government,  attempt to provide

a single gateway for users to all government websites. These sites are organised around

the information the user is seeking, as opposed to the name of the agency, its services, or

the tier of government responsible for that service.

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Findings of a national study commissioned by Accenture in the United States

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suggest that a strong e government message is attractive to voters. Eighty three percent

of those surveyed said creation of online government services should be a  priority .

The survey reveals that Americans believe leaders will bring government services online.

Seventy four percent of those surveyed for this research, including eligible voters aged

18 and older, already have access to the Internet. 

Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion is the fourth in the Falling

through the Net series.

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This report measures the extent of digital inclusion by looking

at households and individuals that have a computer and an Internet connection. The

report measures the digital divide by looking at the differences in the shares of each

group that is digitally connected. It also provides data on high speed access to the Inter 

net, as well as access to the Internet and computers for people with disabilities. 

The data show that the overall level of U.S. digital inclusion is rapidly increasing:

  The share of households with Internet access soared by 58 percent, rising from 26.2

percent in December 1998 to 41.5 percent in August 2000. 

  More than half of all households (51.0 percent) have computers, up from 42.1 

percent in December 1998.

  There were 116.5 million Americans online at some location in August 2000, 31.9

million more than there were only 20 months earlier. 

  The share of individuals using the Internet rose by 35.8 percent, from 32.7 percent in

December 1998 to 44.4 percent in August 2000. If growth continues at this rate,

more than half of all Americans will be using the Internet by mid 2001. The rapid

uptake of new technologies occurs among most groups of Americans, regardless of

income, education, race or ethnicity, location, age, or gender, suggesting that digital

inclusion is a realisable goal.

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