Federal Register 2.0: Release of Unofficial Prototype

An updated online version of the Federal Register, called Federal Register 2.0 (FR 2.0), will be introduced on 15 July 2010, at an event at the Office of the Federal Register, in Washington, DC, according to a 12 July 2010 press release issued by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

According to the press release, on 26 July 2010, FR 2.0 will be made available — “as an unofficial prototype” — to the public at FederalRegister.gov.

The press release states that the purpose of the public release is “to gather public feedback,” and that an official version of FR 2.0 could be made public sometime in 2011.

The press release provides the following additional background on FR 2.0:

The concept of FR 2.0 originated with Open Government advocates, and was later advanced by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In technology terms, FR 2.0 uses the bulk XML from GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) to present regulatory material in new configurations. The applications on the site are built from open source code, which will be returned to the open source community for unrestricted use in other applications. […] The FR 2.0 web site will be similar to a daily web newspaper, with a clear layout and new tools to guide readers to the most popular topics and relevant documents. The site will display individual news sections for Money, Environment, World, Science & Technology, Business & Industry, and Health & Public Welfare. FR 2.0 will have greatly improved navigation and search tools and will highlight each agency’s significant rules. The new web site takes advantage of social media and integrates seamlessly with Regulations.gov and the Unified Agenda to make it easy for users to submit comments directly into the official e-Rulemaking docket, and view the history of rulemaking activity through a regulatory timeline.

HT @AdvertisingLaw and beSpacific.