But as survey responses from the 70 agencies suggest, broad general statements of intent produce only minimal agency change. The president and Congress appear to want expanded electronic access. The rapid computerization of Washington suggests that increased electronic access is needed. But to a large degree it has not yet arrived. Few agencies are actively releasing electronic files.
Many electronic records remain difficult to obtain.
The agencies, not the public, still set most policies guiding release of electronic federal records. 3 H.R. Rep. No. 978, 101stCong. 4 Oct. 1993. By the early 1990s, there were more than 10,000 federal government data bases. A Directory of Free and Fee-Based Data Bases and Files Available from the Federal Government, 3d ed.