Members of Congress will be allowed to use web conferencing solutions on government computer systems recently announced the US House of Representatives Committee on Administration. This decision comes in the aftermath of another decision allowing House members to use iPads and iPhones on the chamber floor as the House looking for new ways cutting costs and increase productivity.
This new measure will allow members of the House to use web conferencing services to virtually meet with the constituents who cant be present in the Congressional office. It will also allow them to participate in virtual town hall meetings and in staff reunions.
We are pleased to announce that after working with Republican Leaders and various House stakeholders Members and staff can now use popular video teleconferencing services within the House network to communicate with constituents said Committee on House Administration Chairman Dan Lungren and House Technology Operations Team Chairman Jason Chaffetz in a joint statement.
During a time when Congress must do more with less we believe that these low-cost real-time communication tools will be an effective way to inform and solicit feedback from constituents they added.
Behind the decision is the prospect of reducing costs and time. The House expects to reduce costs associated with travelling to meet their constituents and at the same make members available to their districts while they re at Washington.
Still House Democrats raised concerns related with safety issues and said that new protocols should be put into place before the new technology could be allowed but Chaffetz and Lungren said everything was being done to ensure fully secure measures.
We thank the CAO for ensuring that Members and staff can utilize these services while maintaining the necessary level of IT security within the House network and look forward to identify additional technological solutions to communication and transparency roadblocks they stated.
Actually state government has a longer history in using web conferencing services. For example the Nova Scotia government from Canada has been using RHUB web conferencing appliance for more than 2 years. The TurboMeeting deployment started out as a tool for training geographically dispersed correctional officers but now IT is using it for remote support and troubleshooting as well enhancing the already robust ROI Said Brian McDougall Provincial Program Officer from Nova Scotia Justice Department.