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NEWS RELEASEFor Immediate Release |
| Contact: Chris Neff 435-645-8898 cneff@nicusa.com |
State of Tennessee Web Site Ranked First in the Nation by Brown University
Of the 1,569 state government sites surveyed, Tennessee earns first place for overall quality of information and services
NASHVILLE . October 27, 2004 . In Brown University's fifth annual survey of state eGovernment performance, the state of Tennessee's official Web site (www.Tennessee.gov) earned the highest ranking in the country. Researchers at the Taubman Center for Public Policy & American Institutions at Brown University tracked Tennessee's return to the top spot this year after placing first in 2002 and fourth last year. The official Web site for Tennessee was built and is managed by TennesseeAnytime, a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).
Four of NIC's state partners placed in the top ten, including Maine (www.Maine.gov) in second place, Utah (www.Utah.gov) in third, and Indiana (www.IN.gov) ranking seventh.
"We're pleased that Tennessee.gov consistently ranks in the top tier in the nation when it comes to providing convenient, easy-to-use services and information," said Governor Phil Bredesen. "Technology is improving virtually every aspect of our daily lives. In state government, we're focused on fully leveraging it to provide 24-hour, seven-day service in as many areas as possible."
Researchers at the Taubman Center for Public Policy & American Institutions reviewed 1,569 state Web sites and evaluated them against a broad range of criteria, including availability of online services, disability and foreign language access, quality control, and credit card payment options.
Launched in April 2001, Tennessee.gov hosts more than three million user visits and supports approximately 575,000 eGovernment transactions each month. The site offers a wide range of online services, including driver's license renewals, Tennessee State Parks reservations, felony offender information, TennCare eligibility verifications for health care providers, child support payment histories, and hundreds of government information resources.
Additional online services under development include campaign finance report filings, business-tax registrations, and a locator to find licensed child care providers.
"NIC congratulates Tennessee for its achievement in the 2004 Brown University rankings," said Harry Herington, NIC's Chief Operating Officer. "Tennessee.gov offers a wealth of information to citizens and businesses, and we are honored to help the state use technology to deliver valuable online government services."
About TennesseeAnytime
Tennessee.gov's online services are developed, marketed, and maintained by TennesseeAnytime, a Nashville-based subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC.
About NIC
NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 1,500 state and local agencies that serve more than 51 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.
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