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Development: Cities and municipalities implementing
e-government have struggled to develop a basic infrastructure is nearly ubiquitous,
there are still marginalized groups who are unable to make use of information
and communication technologies because they are not 'e-literate'. E-government
programs will have to be especially wary of marginalizing people who are not
e-literate in countries and areas where literacy rates have historically been lower.
Accessibility: LGUs must serve all its members irrespective
of their physical capabilities. In some areas setting appropriate standards for
accessibility will be difficult due to language or telephone access limitations.
New services will have to be designed with appropriate interfaces to narrow the
Digital divide, where issues of class, religion, location and other concerns could
lead to groups of people being disenfranchised and alienated.
Privacy: Privacy is one of the major concerns of all LGUs.
Governments are entrusted with huge amounts of personal information and must be
a responsible custodian - government programs, Web sites and services will have
to ensure they live up to privacy best practice. An appropriate balance will have
to be struck between legislative protection for consumers of private-sector services
and self-policing.
Security: Security is costly but security breaches shatter
public trust in government.
Transparency: Government must be transparent in different
ways to the private sector. This will be reflected in their choice and designs
of ICT systems.
Interoperability: Adding new systems on top of outmoded,
legacy systems has been problematic for the private sector and will, in all
likelihood, be problematic for the government sector.
Records Management: New technologies are being created
to help manage information. Governments have unique needs in this field.
Permanent availability and preservation, for example, of historical documentation
is of special importance for governments.
Education and Marketing: E-government services are
only useful if people know about them. Education and outreach programs will be
needed. As the LGU boundaries become more blurred and expanded, new rules may
be needed to govern the relationship of the public and private sectors.
Public/Private Competition/Collaboration: Issues of public
vs. private collaboration and competition are part of every LGU's concern.
E-government steps into a difficult area.
Intergovernmentalism: Transforming government means
individuals should be served by the easiest and most efficient means possible.
But, this could raise serious constitutional and political issues about the
relationship between the national and the local government, and the international
community as well.
Workforce Issues: Human resources planning needs to be
structured with the new goals in mind.
Cost Structures: Investment now, savings later.
But planning and budgeting in an unstable climate is hard.
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