Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) announced the introduction of a resolution to expand public access to House proceedings.
“It is a simple matter of principle that Congress cannot faithfully serve the people without providing them the means to survey the legislative business impacting their everyday lives,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “It is important for all Americans to have access to House floor proceedings and other Congressional events, like committee hearings and legislative mark-ups, through their television or streaming service provider. My resolution seeks to explore alternative avenues for broadcasting congressional affairs and expanding public access to House proceedings for those without cable or satellite television.”
Background
Over the past decade, millions of American households have switched from traditional cable and satellite services to online streaming services. While traditional cable and satellite customers have access to C-SPAN’s broadcast of House floor proceedings, Americans who rely on streaming services, like Sling TV or YouTube TV, do not have a comparable option.
Brownley’s resolution would direct the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives to conduct a study and issue a report about ways to increase the accessibility of live broadcasts of floor proceedings of the House of Representatives to individuals without cable or satellite television.
The text of the bill can be found here.
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Issues: 118th Congress