*Pages 1--1 from Microsoft Word - 21352.doc* NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D. C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: September 18, 2002 Maureen Peratino at (202) 418- 0506 FCC WEBSITE RANKED FIRST IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Washington, DC – In the third annual e- government study of state and federal government websites, researchers at Brown University have determined that the FCC’s website (www. fcc. gov) is the top federal agency website. The Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University and a team of researchers examined 1,265 state and federal websites and evaluated the variety and quality of the electronic services offered. The sites were ranked on a 100- point scale based on information and service availability, quality of citizen access, and material that would help citizens. The FCC website received the highest score, 92 points, up 16 points from the previous year when it was ranked third in federal agency websites. In describing best practices of top federal websites, the study said, “The Federal Communications Commission earned first place in our survey of federal websites for its support of online services and features such as antenna structure registration, searchable databases, a comprehensive privacy and security policy, language translation availability, publication access, and live audio/ video events. All in all, the FCC’s website possessed an impressive 92% of critical features surveyed for. The layout of the website . . . was logical and presented the information in a clear, concise format.” FCC Chairman Michael Powell said, “I am proud of the dedicated employees of the FCC whose strong commitment to public service and public information, and whose hard work in web design and maintenance, has earned us this accolade as the best federal agency website. I congratulate each and every FCC bureau and office for their ongoing contributions to our user- friendly website and pledge that we will continue to maintain a program of website excellence in the months and years ahead,” Powell said. The full text and press release of the Brown University study can be accessed from their website as follows: http:// www. insidepolitics. org/ PressRelease02us. html (press release) http:// www. insidepolitics. org/ egovt02us. PDF (full text of study) - FCC - 1