City officials look to technology to open dialogue with E.L. residents

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East Lansing residents might soon be able to participate in city meetings without leaving the comfort of their homes.

The Cable, Internet and Technology Commission presented a report to City Council on Tuesday that discussed the future of telecommunications in the city. The commission proposed an idea that would allow residents to watch city meetings live on the Internet and communicate with city officials during meetings via Twitter.

“If you’re going to be successful in communicating, you have to deliver your message in a way that your people are going to receive it in,” said Councilmember Kevin Beard, the council liaison to the commission.

The potential changes would not affect the airing of meetings on public access television.

The commission discussed the creation of a panel that would explore effective communication methods in the city using technology. The panel would meet in October to discuss potential ideas, including live streaming, to implement in East Lansing.

If the live steam idea is utilized, city officials plan to use Ustream, a free online streaming Web site, to broadcast meetings.

“If the possibility exists that we could use video streaming, we have a very affordable mechanism to open this up so that more of our boards and commissions can be viewed by our citizens,” Beard said.

With Ustream, viewers at home would be able to add commentary through Twitter while watching the live stream. The comments would be nearly instantaneous, creating more public interaction during meetings, Beard said.

Council members and commissioners could respond immediately to public comment by addressing the tweets from residents.

“I think it’s another channel for discourse,” Commissioner Kraig Westfall said. “It’s another way to communicate to your elected officials, especially on the local level.”

The panel would consist of four experts in the community and a moderator.

The experts, a member of the city government, a representative from a local cable provider, an expert on telecommunications and a visionary to mold the project, would discuss possible telecommunications developments and alternative ways to relay information to the public, committee Chair Don Davis said.

“With this convergence, our commission has concluded that the public does have access to telecommunications,” Davis said. “Now that the public has access, what should be the form of access?”

Currently, the city is utilizing some alternative technologies to display information to residents.

The city has Twitter and Facebook accounts and several city officials blog and use Twitter as well.

City Manager Ted Staton has a blog on the city’s Web site that discusses topics from developments in the city to community events.

“The city is starting to make some positive moves toward utilization (of) technology,” Davis said.

The City Council will revisit the creation of the panel sometime in September.

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