#06–283 October 23, 2006                             

State launches enhanced hunting, fishing licensing online at SC.gov

Obtaining a hunting or fishing license in South Carolina just got easier, thanks to an enhanced recreational licensing system that the state implemented this week. The new hunting and fishing licensing system allows customers to purchase licenses directly through the state’s official Web site (www.SC.gov), by phone, and at authorized point-of-sale agents. There are more than 230 authorized Internet point-of-sale agents across the state, including Wal-Marts, K-Marts and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
           
South Carolina sells more than 700,000 licenses each year to residents and out-of-state hunters and anglers. The new user-friendly system allows customers to print recreational licenses instantly from any computer and provides enhanced reporting capabilities that will save time for sales agents and S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) employees.

“This exciting public-private partnership brings an unprecedented level of ease and convenience to the licensing process,” said John Frampton, DNR director. “We’ve embraced the information age and employed the latest technology to benefit hunters, anglers and all those who enjoy wildlife related recreation and activities. This latest advancement in customer service is part of our commitment to provide convenient, user-friendly services to the public. Obtaining hunting and fishing licenses and permits has never been easier.”
           
The online service allows individuals to select the license type and process Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit card payments through SC.gov’s secure payment system.
           
The South Carolina Recreational Licensing System replaces an older vendor-provided system. The multi-channel service was built at no cost to taxpayers through a partnership between the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and South Carolina Interactive, a Columbia-based subsidiary of government technology firm NIC, a private-sector partner that manages the state’s official Web site.
           
SC.gov is the official Web site of the State of South Carolina (www.SC.gov) and a collaborative effort between the state and South Carolina Interactive to Web-enable the state’s information services. SC.gov was built and is managed by South Carolina Interactive, a Columbia-based subsidiary of government technology firm NIC that oversees the state’s official Web site under contract with the Budget and Control Board’s Division of the Chief Information Officer.

NIC manages more government technology services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides government technology solutions for 2,200 state and local agencies that serve more than 60 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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