March 22, 2007
Contact: communications@ihets.org

State Rep. Terri Austin (D-Anderson) announced on March 19 that the remaining Indiana House Roads and Transportation Committee field hearings on the governor's Indiana Commerce Connector and Illiana Expressway proposals would be available to watch via the Internet.

The Indiana Commerce Connector, a proposed new toll way, is seen as a way to reduce traffic in the Indianapolis area, particularly along Interstate 465. The route would begin at Interstate Highway 69 in Madison County and ends at Interstate Highway 70 in Hendricks County or Morgan County.

According to Rep. Austin, chair of the House Roads and Transportation Committee, it is important that local committee hearings are held to give the Daniels administration a chance to explain the project to the general public, and to offer the public an opportunity to make their feelings known about a proposal that will impact thousands across Indiana.

"I know that many people are interested in these hearings, but will not have a chance to attend one in the weeks to come," Austin said. "It is my hope that they will be able to watch a meeting through the Internet, or catch up on what has taken place, since coverage of all hearings will be archived for future reference."

Greg Guffey, director of publications & technology, House Democratic Caucus, contacted George Khazal, IHETS digital media consultant, inquiring if the organization would be able to set-up live streaming on the scheduled days.

In a quick turn-a-round, IHETS contacted each site, working out the technical details with local staff and setup the locations for the live streaming.  Due to limited internet connectivity at the Morgan County location, IHETS utilized a mobile internet satellite truck to provide broadband connectivity for streaming video and audio back to IHETS distribution center. 

This mobile satellite Internet unit allows IHETS to provide a complete Internet-to-go package, including reliable high-speed broadband service.  It’s also capable of handling remote telephone service via IP telephony, real-time two-way video conferencing, and support for peripherals, like laptops and other electrical equipment to assist Indiana colleges, universities, and affiliates with telecommunications services when emergencies arise.

The four hearings were scheduled to run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following locations:

• March 20: Morgan County, Morgan County Fairgrounds Community Building, Martinsville
• March 22: Shelby County, Indiana Downs, Shelbyville
• March 26: Johnson County, Franklin College
• March 28: Hancock County, Greenfield Central High School Auditorium, Greenfield

The hearings will be archived for future viewing. Although audio and video coverage of these sessions is not intended to serve as a public record or legislative history, the archive is available online at: http://www.in.gov/legislative/session/video.html

IHETS has provided real-time and on-demand video streaming services to state government, higher education institutions, and public-sector partners like WFYI for several years. IHETS offers a host of other services including IHETS Interactive, video conferencing, audio conferencing, and more.

To learn how your organization can use streaming to increase access, enhance information sharing, or improve community outreach, contact George Khazal, IHETS digital media services consultant, at gkhazal@ihets.org or 317.263.8870