Coalition for Open Government Releases Livestream Report

By WRILEY NELSON
NEW YORK STATE

The New York Coalition for Open Government released a report on the status of meeting livestreaming by village, town and city governments at a press conference on June 15. The coalition partnered with the Cornell University State Policy and Advocacy Clinic to review more than 1,200 municipalities around the state. Only 23 percent of elected bodies livestream their meetings, including 48 percent of cities, 21 percent of towns and 24 percent of villages. The report examines the data in detail to determine the impact of digital methods, regional variation and population size on the livestreaming rate. The Southern Tier and Central New York regions had some of the lowest rates in the state, including 8 percent in Delaware County, 7 percent in Otsego County, 4 percent in Chenango County, 3 percent in Oneida County and 0 percent in Herkimer, Montgomery, and Tioga Counties. Despite the challenges they face, many small, rural communities have taken this critical step toward open government in the last few years.