Senators Join to Back Public Service Site

Senators John McCain of Arizona and Barack Obama of Illinois have thrown their weight behind an online effort to bring easier access to social services. Called the Public Internet Channel, the site brings together information on topics such as public safety, emergency services, education, health care and jobs and makes it available in both English and Spanish. The effort is being spearheaded by non-profit group One Economy, that hopes to raise $20 million for the effort.

"If we do this right, the Public Internet Channel can do for accessing social services what Yahoo! has done for accessing entertainment or what Craigslist has done for accessing local goods for sale," Obama said. Prototypes of the service are planned for next year, starting in Baltimore, and will be launched in other cities over the next two years.