Remote access discussed at county level

"Commissioner downplays recording of meeting," by Jenna Portnoy, PhillyBurbs.com, November 5, 2009:

. . . A more than two-hour-long meeting of the Bucks County commissioners was recorded Wednesday thanks to in-house video equipment at the Middletown Township building. But it's not clear if the video will ever be viewed by a wide audience. . . .

. . . Commissioner Diane Marseglia has pushed for televised meetings since before she took office in 2008. She maintains that the meeting times are inconvenient for people who work during the day. . . .

Commissioner Jim Cawley said he had no problem with the video appearing on television or streaming online. Two commissioners' support for a measure is typically enough to make it happen in Bucks, but Cawley said he would defer to Martin to make the final decision.

Unlike in municipalities, counties do not have cable franchise agreements to use as leverage for air time and video equipment from cable companies like Comcast. Showing the videos online could be a cost-saving alternative.

Back in April, then-Chief Operating Officer Dave Sanko said video of the meetings could begin streaming online as early as July.

At the time, Sanko said the technology would give anyone with Internet access the chance to view the meetings whenever it's convenient for them. The service would have been worth the costs of recording, he said at the time.