Utah Senate is Web-savvy

Utah Senate Republicans always close the important part of their caucuses, leaving Utahns wondering what decisions are being made behind closed doors.

On the other hand, the Senate has one of the most, if not the most, expansive, cutting-edge and encompassing Internet operations in the United States, with an eye toward providing unprecedented citizen access and information.

It's an interesting dichotomy — closed and secret, yet open and transparent.

Down the hall on the Capitol's third floor is the Utah House — open party caucuses where citizens and the media can hear oftentimes critical policy debates, but an Internet access system that, while adequate, is far behind the state-of-the-art Senate's.

Ric Cantrell, deputy of the Senate, one of the top staff posts there, is the driving force behind what he calls "government 2.0."

Only half-jokingly, Cantrell, a bit of a government scholar, says Internet breakthroughs have the possibility of "finishing the American Revolution."

"I'm thinking 2.0 tools offer us another fighting chance to grow into what America was meant to be: a stable republic maintained by an informed, engaged citizenry," says Cantrell, a former wilderness instructor who says his real love is escaping modern technology completely "and chipping arrowheads from stone."

For Cantrell, it means a long list of high-tech accessibility for Utahns who are up on Twitter, or webcasting, or video streaming, or podcasts or things that have names some wouldn't even recognize.

While you can't get into the Senate GOP caucus, which meets behind closed doors at least twice a week during the annual 45-day session and during the monthly interim days, you can watch live online video broadcasts of the Senate GOP bosses' news conferences, held each general session day after the 29-member body adjourns from floor action.

You can receive immediate tweets (1,300 signed up so far) blasted out by Cantrell of interesting tidbits not only of such Web events, but floor or committee action, internal meetings and so on.

You can view dozens of digital pictures taken by Senate staffers and spouses. (A reporter showing up to interview a senator may find his or her picture online before his or her story is.)

You can read senators' blogs or Facebook profiles. (Twelve senators have Facebook pages now.)

You can be notified when a new YouTube video of interesting Senate moments comes up.

You can listen to podcasts of Senate actions, interviews, press conferences and so on. "We call it Senate radio," said Cantrell.

You can get text-message Senate updates.

You can send e-mails to lawmakers' BlackBerrys or laptop computers. (All legislators have Internet e-mails and BlackBerrys, paid for by the Legislature.)