NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Stephen Fletcher Chief Information Officer Governor's Office 801-538-1000 Hope Miller Utah.gov 801-983-8414 hope@utahinteractive.org

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SALT LAKE CITY – September 23, 2005 – Utah.gov is, hands down, the best state government Web site in the nation. In Brown University's sixth annual study of state and federal eGovernment performance, Utah's official Web site (www.Utah.gov) earned the highest ranking in the country, up from third place last year.

"This is a significant achievement for Utah," said Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. "Utah.gov is user friendly, interactive and timely, and it's gratifying to receive this honor."

Utah's Chief Information Officer Stephen Fletcher agrees. "One of the most promising aspects of eGovernment is its ability to bring citizens closer to their governments. Fully executable, online service delivery benefits both government and its constituents."

Researchers at the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions at Brown University reviewed 1,559 Web sites and evaluated them against a broad range of criteria, including availability of online services, disability and foreign language access, quality control, ease of use, privacy and security policies, and credit card payment options.

"Utah.gov is extremely easy to navigate with the most popular online services front and center on the homepage," said Darrell M. West, director of Brown University's Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions and the author of the study. "And with a link in the header to the online services menu as well as around-the-clock customer service, finding the information you need can be quick and easy."

Additionally, the Brown study notes, Utah.gov offers up-to-the-minute government news, alerts, traffic, and weather. Links to Utah's privacy and accessibility policies can be found at the bottom of every page.

In 2004 alone, Utah.gov processed 2.4 million transactions and experienced over 17 million visits.

About Utah.gov
Utah.gov is the state of Utah's official Web portal (www.Utah.gov) and was ranked first in the nation in the Center for Digital Government's 2003 Best of the Web competition. The portal is a collaborative effort between the state of Utah and Utah Interactive. It was built and is marketed, operated, and maintained by Utah Interactive, a Salt Lake City-based wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).

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 2,000 state and local agencies that serve more than 55 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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