Arizona legislature floor sessions go to cable

Arizona is launching live coverage of floor debates and committee hearings from the state House and Senate. There are also plans to broadcast press conferences with legislators, reports the Arizona Daily Star.

The service is being offered by Cox Communications but will be offered free to other cable companies serving the rest of the state.

Both the House and Senate chambers already have permanently mounted TV cameras, as do all hearing rooms. Those cameras, controlled remotely by legislative staffers, broadcast the proceedings within the legislative complex as well as over the Internet.

It's only available on Cox's digital channels, which cost more than analog cable. "We're basically out of spectrum," said a spokesman. About 56 percent of the company's nearly 1 million subscribers have digital service.