As reported here, almost all the attempts to mandate the use of ODF in public administrations in the U.S. have failed. Only Massachusetts and (very partially) Minnesota require the use of open format.
Despite the pressure of IBM and the ODF Alliance, all the bills have been rejected. It's a pity. In Europe, it seems a little better: France, Norway, Belgium and Denmark, national governments are planning to switch to open formats.
I think that the existence of closed formats is what really stops many from using free software. The concept is easy enough, even for politicians: do whatever you want with your computer, but let me do what I want with mine. Without free formats this is not possible.
Next time you receive some MS word attachments in your mail, send it back to whom sent to you asking for a free document :-).
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