Senate panel approves use of YouTube videos

After months spent in limbo, a Senate committee announced the approval of a rule that allows senators to embed YouTube videos within their official websites.

Many senators post videos on YouTube and similar websites and then embed them on their Senate.gov domain. But until recently, the chamber’s rules, which are the same as in the House, did not allow for this practice.

{mosads}Lawmakers, however, have come out in favor of using the relatively new capabilities of YouTube, saying they help them communicate with their constituents.

The decision came after more than eight months of bipartisan talks among members of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.

“The explosion of new Internet technologies can provide Senate offices with important ways to better communicate with the public and increase the transparency of government operations,” said Howard Gantman, staff director for the committee.

“When the regulations were last revised in 2005, many of these technologies were in their infancy and prohibitions were left in place on their use. With these new regulations, the Senate is taking a major step into the future.”

The committee will begin reaching out to the offices of senators during the recess to make sure staff and lawmakers know what the new guidelines entail and which websites are permitted for use.

For example, official websites must clearly indicate when a video is maintained by the member and when it is maintained by a commercial site, such as YouTube.

The House erupted in controversy in July after Democrats sought to restrict commercial advertisements from appearing on external websites, such as YouTube, that members connect with their official sites. They suggested creating a separate channel, free of advertisements, that could maintain video content for members.

Republicans, led by House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), supported instating restrictions on members. But they charged that Democrats would essentially be endorsing a website, such as YouTube, if they only allowed members to use one site.

The House Administration Committee has yet to resolve the matter.