Virginia Launches the Nation's First Wireless Government Portal

Essential eGovernment Services from www.myVirginia.org are Now Accessible With Wireless Devices

RICHMOND, Va., Jul 31, 2002 -- The Commonwealth of Virginia's innovative electronic government services recently got even better. Governor Mark R. Warner recently announced that Virginia has become the first state in the nation to make its official home page and key government information services accessible via wireless devices. My Mobile Virginia ( www.myVirginia.org/mobilegov) now gives on-the-go citizens the option to access government services through numerous types of Web-enabled handheld personal digital assistants, including wireless telephones, Palm-based devices, and Pocket PCs.




"I am proud to announce the nation's first wireless state portal," said Governor Warner. "Busy citizens who have access to the latest technology now have Virginia state government at their fingertips. Find a hotel on the road, report a non-emergency event to local law enforcement wherever you drive, or find your new polling place on a hectic election day. This is the ultimate extension of government to date."

An extension of Virginia's award-winning My Virginia Web site ( www.myVirginia.org), My Mobile Virginia allows citizens and businesses to locate contact information for all branches of state government, including the governor and executive branch secretariats, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch and General Assembly. The mobile home page's emergency information also provides contact information for the Virginia State Police, the Department of Emergency Management, the Red Cross, and Blood Services of Virginia.

My Mobile Virginia is a service of the Virginia Information Providers Network (VIPNet), a state entity that assists other Virginia government entities in providing information and services via the Internet. My Mobile Virginia was built by Virginia Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq:EGOV) that manages My Virginia on behalf of the Commonwealth.

My Mobile Virginia now offers an unprecedented array of interactive services for mobile users, including:

Virginia Legislative Branch information, which also includes General Assembly meeting information (date, time and location for meetings) as well as House of Delegates and Senate member listings with contact information;

The complaint selector from the Consumer Assistance Portal that allows consumers to search for the appropriate federal, state, or local government entity with which to file a consumer complaint;

Tourism information that helps users search for information on lodging, dining, golf, and entertainment options in Virginia;

The Department of Health Professions' Licensee Lookup system lets citizens verify that the health care provider is in good standing with the appropriate state licensing board; and

Voting and Election services that include:

Real-time election reporting in which users are able to select a desired election race and receive real-time result summaries via the Palm-based display; and

An election polling place lookup system allows users to enter their residential address and within seconds their polling place name, location, and voting district information is returned.

By the end of the year, My Mobile Virginia is scheduled to provide mobile access to many additional government information services, including:

The Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) service center location look-up;

The Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) state agency and employee lookups that enable users to search for state employee contact information;

Virginia Lottery winning information and results;

The Library of Virginia public library location search;

Virginia State Police (VSP) area headquarters and field office locations search;

State Parks information and location search; and