Determining the content and identifying suppliers of public information in electronic form

Abstract

An increasing portion of federal government information exists in electronic form, and a debate has begun on the circumstances under which this information should be made available to the public. The existing legal framework is adequate to accommodate appropriate policies, which center on ensuring a diversity of electronic information products and sources. The particular features of electronic information products should be designed to meet consumer needs, considering the differences between electronic and paper information. Public and private sector roles in adding value to electronic information should be defined with an appreciation of the types of value each sector already has added for its own purposes at five different stages of information processing, ranging from the most basic typographic features to distribution to the ultimate consumer.