Public Online Information Act Introduced in Senate
May 18, 2010
On May 6, Sen. John Tester (D-MT) introduced the Public Online Information Act (POIA) (S. 3321) to require the federal government to post currently available public information on the Internet. Although this legislation would increase the amount of federal information that is posted online, some open government groups have concerns regarding certain provisions in the bill.
read in fullEPA Puts More Environment Online
May 4, 2010
Several new online tools developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are now available to provide the public with a variety of environmental information collected by the agency. The tools provide access to information about enforcement actions against polluters in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and across the nation, plus information about health risks from toxic chemicals and the ongoing oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. These online information access tools follow the recent release of the EPA's Open Government Plan, which makes public access to information a priority for the agency.
read in fullOpen Government Plans Seek Revamp of Culture and Structure
Apr 20, 2010
On April 7, federal agencies released their individual plans to be more transparent, participatory, and collaborative, pursuant to the Obama administration’s Open Government Directive (OGD). The plans varied in scope and quality, but several interesting trends were noticeable. As agencies update their plans, these trends may become baselines for open government or may be abandoned, depending on how successful key agencies' plans prove to be.
read in fullEPA's New HERO Defends the Public's Right to Know
Apr 6, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched a new online database that provides access to the scientific studies used in making key regulatory decisions. The EPA released the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database on March 24. According to the agency, this action "is part of the [Obama administration's] open government directive to conduct business with transparency, participation, and collaboration."
read in fullNational Broadband Plan Seeks to Increase Civic Engagement
Mar 23, 2010
On March 16, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its 376-page National Broadband Plan, setting forth a strategy to expand access to broadband Internet services to millions of people. Chapter 15 of the broadband plan is specifically intended to make it easier for Americans to actively participate in civil society and hold their government accountable.
Plans for National Broadband Access May Be in Danger
Mar 9, 2010
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is gearing up to release its plan for national broadband access on March 17. The FCC is required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to develop and present to Congress a plan to connect an estimated 93 million Americans to broadband service. Early releases of the plan indicate a broad vision, but problems concerning funding and net neutrality threaten its success.
read in fullPatchwork Improvements Continue for E-Rulemaking
Feb 23, 2010
Several federal government websites have recently incorporated changes that better highlight regulatory issues and expand online access to rulemaking information. However, the changes appear independent of one another, not parts of a conscious effort by the Obama administration to transform the government's beleaguered e-rulemaking systems.
read in fullAgencies Make Data More Widely Available Through Data.gov
Jan 27, 2010
On Jan. 22, executive agencies posted hundreds of datasets onto Data.gov as required under the Open Government Directive (OGD). Many transparency advocates have lauded the administration’s efforts while at the same time raising questions about how well this first initiative under the OGD actually worked. The release of the datasets has triggered discussions about the value of the data, how individual privacy rights are protected, whether the datasets being released are new, and the quality of the data that has been released.
read in fullTransparency: Change You can Trust
Dec 21, 2009
In 2008, we heard a lot about "change." In this 2009 year-end summary, we use another type of "change" to rate the Obama administration's transparency efforts thus far.
read in fullOpen Government Directive Hits the Streets
Dec 8, 2009
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the long-anticipated Open Government Directive on Dec. 8. The directive, a memo from OMB Director Peter Orszag to all agency and department heads, requires that all agencies develop and implement an Open Government Plan specific to each agency.
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