Granicus, Inc. Supports Spitzer’s Vision for Open Government

Governor Eliot Spitzer, NY, recently signed five executive orders that articulate a state-wide push for openness and accountability. Spitzer’s Executive Order 3 rewrites the state’s standard for communicating with citizens, requiring that all state agencies and public authorities must develop plans by March 1st to stream all public meetings subject to the Open Meetings Law.

Government organizations all over the U.S. are quickly adopting streaming media solutions to effectively reach their citizens. Granicus, Inc., the leading provider of government focused streaming and legislative management solutions, currently serves over 200 municipal governments across 27 states. “Technological advances are rapidly changing the landscape of government communications, streaming offers the most effective medium for distributing public meeting content to citizens,” says Tom Spengler, CEO of Granicus, Inc. “Granicus firmly supports Governor Spitzer’s progressive vision of government that is committed to openness and accountability and we expect the success of this order will continue throughout New York municipalities. Streaming media provides citizens with robust tools to conveniently access reliable information they want, when they want it. We are dedicated to helping government open up their public meeting processes and encourage a participatory government.”

Spitzer’s order to reshape the state’s open government policy with webcasting speaks to national increases in internet and broadband penetration. Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that internet penetration alone grew seven percentage points, 66 % to 73 %, over the past year. Digital video is fast becoming a critical application for improving government transparency and operational efficiency. Hosting nearly 45,000 public meeting archives, Granicus is integrating streaming video into public records all over the country.

New York’s Executive Order 3 will establish a new transparent formula for government that makes crucial information tangible to all citizens. “As state agents devise a plan to meet Mr. Spitzer’s open government guidelines, we hope they evaluate the full potential of a comprehensive streaming solution that improves public access while streamlining legislative processes,” said Sal Baglio, Granicus Northeastern Regional Sales Director. “Granicus solutions optimize public access by creating an integrated public record of audio/video content and legislative documents all cross-linked and searchable by keyword. Our unique focus on the public meeting process also enables governments to reduce costs and maximize legislative efficiency.”