You Can Now Watch Redwood City Council Meetings on Your Phone

Redwood City has been successfully engaging online audiences in Council and Planning Commission meetings with live and archived webcasting for the past four years. Recently, the City upgraded their technology to make it even easier to deliver vital information to the public across mobile devices using mobile streaming technology included within Granicus' Government Transparency solution. This latest effort was initiated by Mayor Jeffrey Gee and the City Council in their pursuit to continuously increase transparency and access to local government deliberations through the use of technology.

"We have arrived at a 'new day' here in Redwood City - a day that builds upon all of our hard work in making our City sustainable, economically viable, and very importantly, accessible. Our continued success as a City depends on well-informed residents. In order for people to stay well-informed, the City must continuously look for technological opportunities that make it easier for residents to connect with public meetings," explains Mayor Jeffrey Gee. "Now, while enjoying your dinner in our beautiful Downtown, you can log in to the City Council or Planning Commission, via your smartphone, and stay up-to-date on public decisions that make a difference to you."

Because of the explosive growth of mobile usage, Redwood City made it a priority to reach a broader audience with mobile device streaming. By upgrading its video streaming architecture, Redwood City's videos can now reach players in HTML5, Flash, Silverlight, and Windows Media. As a result, residents can watch or listen to their archived public meetings from any smartphone including the iPhone, iPad, Droid, and other tablet devices. Additionally, Redwood City's new streaming architecture allows for a more consistent viewing experience across different web browsers.

"The mobile market is evolving quickly and providing opportunities for government agencies to reach these devices," said Tom Spengler, Granicus CEO and Co-Founder, "Redwood City needed an easier way to deliver rich media to these devices so audiences can stay connected to government whenever and wherever is most convenient for them. We're excited to partner with them to make this happen."

Over the past several months, Redwood City has launched a smartphone app called myRWC, a Pinterest site to connect theft victims with stolen property, an off-site cash payment option for utility customers, and now smart phone mobile access to City Council and Planning Commission meetings. A web redesign is currently in progress, as well as new payment options for utility customers that will soon be announced.

About Granicus 
Granicus, Inc. is the award-winning cloud platform provider for government transparency, efficiency, and citizen participation. The Granicus cloud platform and AppStore for government currently serves more than 63,000 government staff members.  Follow Granicus on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and on the Granicus Blog.