Excessive price for electronic information

Access to many computer databases of public information require purchase of expensive library cards or time charges. Much USA government data has been privatized, so that government agencies and private companies often sell data that was collected using taxpayers money. For example, US citizens must pay commercial vendors to receive electronic data from two public information databases : SCORPIO generated by the Library of Congress and LEGIS generated by the Congress which together contain the text of all bills, proceedings and other such government items. It is reported that Los Altos, California, is one city which cannot afford the fees to receive the federal legislation which it is mandated to obey.

1. Prohibitive cost of knowledge and information
2. Prohibitive cost of goods and services
3. Profiteering
4. Inaccessible public records

1. Restrictions on freedom of information
2. Inadequate use of information technology

1. Unaccountable management of public information
2. Prohibitive cost of maintaining comprehensive document collections
3. Limited social context in developing technology

1. Profiteering
2. Keeping public records
3. Improving global communications
4. Freeing up information

1. Expensive
2. Limitedness
3. Excess
4. Profiteering