Senate Sessions Available Online
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The House has been offering video links to important hearings for awhile. With the debut of Senate television, any resident with broadband access can watch the House or Senate sessions live.
"While the business conducted by the Senate during formal sessions has always been open to the public, it is not always possible for people from all corners of the commonwealth to attend at the State House," said state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing in a statement. "Using the Internet as a public portal for access to our debates will certainly help engage more people in the legislative process. This is a wonderful step forward for government openness and accountability."
The House began archiving videos of hearings and formal sessions last year, although it had a rocky start when some 30,000 people tried to logon to the Web site last January for the constitutional convention and crashed the server. The House and joint committee hearings can be accessed through the House's Webcast page.
The Senate began offering live gavel-to-gavel coverage on Jan. 2. Sessions will be archived and made available for on-demand viewing.
Both sites can be accessed here.
Adobe Flash Player is required (the download is available through the Legislature Web site) and high-speed Internet access. The House archives currently require at least v.10 Windows Media Player but are going to be transferred to Flash in the coming months.
The Webcast sessions also offer closed-captioning for the hearing impaired, which Carl Richardson, State House coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act, described as allowing the "deaf and hard of hearing community [to] participate fully in their government."
The downside of the Webcasts is that many in the state don't have access to the computers or broadband equipment to make them easily accessible.
Downing, a Pittsfield Democrat, has been an outspoken advocate for more investment in broadband infrastructure, which is limited in the rural regions of Berkshire County. Downing said 22 of the towns he represents have no access and another 15 have only limited access.
He, Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams, and the rest of the Berkshire delegation are backing an ambitious $25 million initiative floated by Gov. Deval Patrick to spur Internet access in Western Mass.
"The Senate's ability to broadcast its sessions online underscores the need to bring broadband access to every city and town in the commonwealth," said Downing. "I will continue to advocate hard every day to advance the governor's broadband proposal this year, so that my constituents will enjoy equal access to today’s technologies from their homes and offices."
The Berkshire and Pioneer Valley Connects are working with legislators, local broadband groups, state agencies and the administration to bring broadband services to this underserved region. The town of Florida is currently part of a pilot program to determine the best options.
"If Western Massachusetts wants to spur economic development, increase quality educational opportunities, and enhance emergency communication, broadband is essential," Rep. Denis E. Guyer, D-Dalton, has said.
Western Mass. residents are encouraged to fill out a survey put together by the Connects to help them define unserved and underserved areas. The survey will be posted until March 1. It can be taken online or printed out and mailed in.
