Even though there are many examples in which federal, state and local governments make it possible for citizens to interact electronically with government, there's much more to be done, said Lieberman. For example, Lieberman cited projects that allow people to use the Web to register vehicles, apply for student loans, bid on government projects and even make campaign contributions.
Some agencies are well ahead, but many are lagging.
Implementation of good ideas seems particularly difficult for e-government projects in which interagency or intergovernmental coordination is needed. Lieberman listed five key impediments to progress on e-government. Various proposals for creating a federal CIO, or information technology czar position are under discussion, and Lieberman said he supports the idea. Legislation to create the federal CIO position could be introduced by October, but Lieberman said he doesn't expect it to be acted on during the current session of Congress. People in government, though fascinated by the new world, are in fact much less educated on either the transformative potential of e-government or the details of the pace at which technology is changing the society landscape.