---
title: "It’s Time to Get Fax Machines Out of Government Offices"
summary: |-
  Fax machines have largely disappeared from private-sector offices, yet remain in many state and local government agencies. Eliminating them will not only save money, but also push forward digital services.
date: "2021-10-04"
issues: ["Digital Government"]
authors: ["Daniel Castro"]
content_type: "Op-Eds & Contributed Articles"
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2021/10/04/its-time-get-fax-machines-out-government-offices/"
---

# It’s Time to Get Fax Machines Out of Government Offices

Faxes have mostly disappeared from the private sector, yet they have stubbornly remained a fixture for many government agencies. While public agencies are notorious for their slow rate of technological change, the failure to stop using this obsolete technology is one of the more egregious examples of this phenomenon. Given the apparent reluctance of many government agencies to fully relinquish their fax machines, [Daniel Castro writes in his ](https://www.govtech.com/opinion/its-time-to-get-fax-machines-out-of-government-offices)*[GovTech](https://www.govtech.com/opinion/its-time-to-get-fax-machines-out-of-government-offices)*[ column](https://www.govtech.com/opinion/its-time-to-get-fax-machines-out-of-government-offices) that state and local CIOs should set a firm date by which all agencies must stop using faxes.

---
*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/publications/2021/10/04/its-time-get-fax-machines-out-government-offices/*