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Internet-based broadcast is the only gavel-to-gavel coverage of state legislative proceedings
Tuesday, May 29, 2001
Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno today announced the debut of SenNetTV, an Internet-based broadcast providing the first and only live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of New York state legislative proceedings. The debut makes New York the 25th state to provide live coverage of legislative sessions and 19th to use the Internet to provide the broadest possible access by citizens.
The live broadcasts are accessible through the state Senate�s Internet web site: http://www.senate.state.ny.us .
"When I became Majority Leader, I promised to change the way the Legislature functions and bring more openness and accountability to the Legislature. The Senate took the lead in instituting conference committees, public expenditure reports and many other reforms that have helped accomplish these goals. With SenNetTV�s live gavel-to-gavel broadcasts of our sessions, we bring greater openness and accessibility to government and give people a better window into the legislative process and how government functions.
"By utilizing the Internet, we can bring our sessions into people�s homes, their workplace, schools, libraries and universities at minimal cost, and at any time or on any given day with few or no limitations," Senator Bruno said. "The Internet is the future of communications access -- and the future is now in the New York State Senate as we go live with our sessions and give people a front-seat look at the legislative process."
Senator Bruno noted that Internet access has increased dramatically in recent years. According to a March 2001 national Zogby poll, 71 percent of adults now have Internet access, increasing from just 16 percent in 1997. The poll also found that an increasing number of Americans are using the Internet as an educational research tool.
Additionally, the New York State Library Association estimates that 98 percent of public libraries provide free Internet access, which is also available in nearly every school and most businesses.
"We have taken a leadership role in this state through programs like New York�s �Wired for Education� program, which has brought this essential technology into our public schools and libraries so that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to take advantage of all the educational and informational resources the Internet can offer," Senator Bruno said.
Internet broadcast of legislative sessions is consistent with the recommendations of a Joint Senate-Assembly Task Force created in 1999 to examine the feasibility of broadcasting legislative proceedings. After a year-long study, the Task Force recommended that legislative proceedings be broadcast over the Internet -- a proposal endorsed by both Senator Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The report noted that with access to computers at home, school, libraries and work growing at a phenomenal rate, citizens are getting more of their information over the Internet. As a result, more states are moving to web-based audio and video coverage of state government over the Internet.
The Task Force also concluded that Internet broadcasting was more economical than providing televised cable coverage and that there were obstacles to televising sessions on cable that could limit the number of homes that could actually view legislative proceedings -- with the greatest obstacle being limited channel capacity. As cable providers continue to convert from analog to digital format, it is anticipated that channel capacity will grow in the future and the Task Force recommended that cable television coverage of legislative proceedings be reexamined at that time.
"It is clear that providing statewide, live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of our sessions via cable television is not currently feasible," Senator Bruno said. "We have had numerous conversations with industry officials and representatives from cable stations around the state and they tell us that they are not ready or able to provide gavel to gavel coverage. Once systems convert to digital and increase channel capacity we look forward to making our sessions available over cable TV as well."
Senator Bruno said in the meantime the Senate was joining the Assembly and Governor in providing taped coverage of Senate session debates and other legislative and government activities to cable stations across the state on a biweekly basis in conjunction with the state�s Cable TV Association.
"As the Senate continues to work with the industry to bring our live legislative proceedings to television, people can watch us on tape or can watch us live on the Internet and hopefully get a better understanding of what we do and our work on their behalf," Senator Bruno said.
SenNetTV can be accessed on-line by visiting the Senate�s web site at http://www.senate.state.ny.us . Visitors can watch the Senate�s legislative sessions by clicking on the SenNetTV icon and will be able to download a free media player to watch the proceedings, view the Senate�s session schedule, and have the option of following sessions with audio and/or video.
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