President Obama yesterday issued a directive that aims to bring government agencies into the 21st century by making such things as mobile apps a top priority going forward.

Obama argued that the American people have been forced to navigate "a labyrinth of information across different Government programs" in order to find the services they need, bemoaning the government's slow adoption of technologies that consumers have come to expect in the age of mobile devices. 

"At a time when Americans increasingly pay bills and buy tickets on mobile devices, Government services often are not optimized for smartphones or tablets, assuming the services are even available online," Obama wrote.

The President referenced Executive Order 13571 (Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service), issued on April 27, 2011, which required executive departments and agencies to, among other things, identify ways to use innovative technologies to streamline their delivery of services to lower costs, decrease service delivery times, and improve the customer experience.

That order led to the creation of a 12-month roadmap that will enable more efficient and coordinated digital service delivery by requiring agencies to establish “specific, measurable goals for delivering better digital services.” Agencies will be required to make information readable across platforms and devices and open to developers for the creation of more user-friendly mobile apps and web pages.

“Ultimately, this Strategy will ensure that agencies use emerging technologies to serve the public as effectively as possible,” Obama wrote. 

Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA, applauded the directive in a statement but said there’s more work to do on the network side of things.

“CTIA and the wireless industry are pleased to see the President recognizes that more Americans continue to rely on their mobile devices for anytime and anywhere access, including the Internet,” Largent wrote, adding that CTIA hopes the President and his Administration remain focused on getting more spectrum for the industry.

President Obama, a known BlackBerry user, sounded a little like an advocate for the wireless industry, noting in a statement that: "Americans deserve a government that works for them anytime, anywhere, and on any device."