(3/20/99)

Imagine if you could renew your driver's license, your professional license, or get a hunting and fishing license -- all from your computer at home!

Imagine no more standing in line, but doing all those tasks on-line, on your home computer.

Utah is headed in that direction, thanks to a new law. News Specialist Pamela Davis has more.

The bill is called the Digital State Act. Instead of using a pen to sign the bill today and make it a law, the Governor used a computer.

He did it as an example of how we all might be able to do our state business on the Internet, by the year 2002.

A "digital signature" is not really a signature -- when the Governor digitally "signs" this bill, you don't see his handwriting on the computer screen.

What you DO see is a "certificate" on the screen. That proves the message comes from the Governor, and not from some computer hacker trying to sign a few bills into law.

The Governor is using this Internet technology to sign the Digital State Act. It requires state agencies to offer most of their services on the Internet by 2002.

David Moon, the Governor's information officer, says, "Services such as motor vehicle registration. services such as hunting and fishing licenses. services such as being able to renew your driver's license."

Using a computer to do all that ONline sure beats standing IN line at a state office.

All you'd have to do is enter your personal identification number, and maybe a password, and presto -- your business is done, and you're still at home.

What else could we do if all state agencies were on-line? Imagine logging on to your computer to read your child's report card, or to send e-mail to his or her teachers.

But what if people don't like this newfangled way of doing business with the state -- what if they prefer doing things the old-fashioned way?

Governor Leavitt says he thinks we'll all get used to it, in time. "I am confident there was resistance to the telephone. I remember people saying people feel quite intimidated by the fact that there was a voice coming out of that thing and they couldn't see anyone."

The Internet technology the Governor used today is made by a company based in Orem. The company hopes its software will one day be used to allow people to buy cars and homes over the Internet.