MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER GIFFORD MILLER ANNOUNCE MAYORAL BLUE ROOM EVENTS AND CITY COUNCIL STATED MEETINGS ARE NOW AVAILABLE LIVE ON THE INTERNET

Mayoral Blue Room Events Will Be Featured at www.nyc.gov
Stated Meetings of the City Council Will Be Featured at www.council.nyc.ny.us

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller announced today that all Mayoral events in the Blue Room and City Council Stated Meetings will now be webcast live on the Internet. Mayoral press conferences, announcements and bill signings in the Blue Room will be available live at www.nyc.gov and City Council Stated Meetings in the Council Chambers will be available at www.council.nyc.ny.us. The Internet webcast is made possible by Crosswalks NYC, the City's municipal television station and NYC.gov, the City's official Web site.

"City Government should be easily accessible to New Yorkers everywhere. These live Internet webcasts will give anyone with an Internet connection a front row seat to their government," said Mayor Bloomberg. "From posting My Neighborhood Stats on the Internet to launching the upcoming 311 call center, we are committed to this ongoing effort of using technology to make government more efficient and more accessible to the people."

"This is a testament to what this City Council embodies: accessibility, accountability and fresh ideas," said Speaker Miller. "The City Council represents every person and every part of this City. Therefore, we should make every effort to reach out to our constituents. This innovation will bring the business of the City Council just a click away to anyone with a connection to the Internet at their home, business, local library or school."

"This is another example of the City's commitment to making City Government more accessible to New Yorkers through technology," said DoITT Commissioner Gino Menchini. "Through the City's Web site, Crosswalks NYC and the 311 call center we are building, New York is effectively leveraging different forms of technology to communicate with the public every day."

"If we are to use technology to make real improvements in the lives of New Yorkers then we must lead by example. This is a step in the right direction because we are taking advantage of the resources the City has at no extra cost to taxpayers in these difficult budgetary times," said Council Member Gale Brewer, who chairs the Council's Select Committee on Technology in Government.

In addition to live webcasts on the Internet, each Mayoral Blue Room event and City Council Stated Meeting will be archived. Archived Mayoral Blue Room events can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/speeches.html; archived City Council Stated Meetings can be found at http://www.council.nyc.ny.us/index.cfm?page=live.