From postal mail to social media, Members of Congress have regularly adopted and utilized new communications tools to better inform constituents about the workings of Congress and important policy matters. Some of these communications advancements also facilitate better information within Congress as it un dertakes its legislative work. By the mid-20 th century, radio and television broadcasts offered Congress the ability, for the first time, to provide real-time information about events unfolding on the chamber floors or in committees. The idea of offering live video broadcasts initially appealed to some, but others had reservations about the potential effects of broadcasting on congressional behavior. Technical challenges also existed, including setting up the necessary lights, microphones, cameras, and other equipment and making arrangements with media outlets for broadcast coverage. Although the House and Senate experimented with television broadcasts as early as 1948, regular coverage of the House floor began in 1977 and regular coverage of the Senate floor began in 1986. Many people are familiar with congressional video because it is continually broadcast on the privately operated, nonprofit Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN). One C-SPAN channel was created for House proceedings in 1979, another for Senate proceedings in 1986, and a third for additional congressional or public affairs programming in 2001. C-SPAN operates independently from Congress—it receives no financial support from the House or Senate, and it does not have any contractual agreement with either chamber. The House and Senate separately administer their video feeds, and each chamber maintains exclusive control over its videos. Congressionally produced video feeds are available for free to any accredited news organization. Committees in each chamber often allow video coverage of public hearings or other proceedings, and have discretion to adopt additional rules to govern video coverage, which can include allowing media outlets to film using their own cameras. Beginning in 2011 and 2012, respectively, the House and Senate began streaming their floor video feeds directly to the public over the Internet, in addition to allowing C-SPAN and other media outlets to rebroadcast their video feeds. Most committees also provide Internet video broadcasts of their open proceedings. Additional technological advancements in recent years, like the ubiquity of smartphones with video cameras and the ability to broadcast over wireless networks, may challenge the ability of the House and Senate to maintain exclusive control over video coverage of their proceedings. This report begins with a brief history of early congressional experiences with television coverage and background on the decisions to allow regular committee and floor broadcasts. The next sections describe how video coverage is administered within Congress, discussing rules, regulations, and authorities affecting video recording and broadcasting for House committees, House floor proceedings, Senate committees, and Senate floor proceedings. A brief overview of C-SPAN's history, organization, and operating structure is then provided. The final sections of this report discuss some recent events related to congressional video and highlight some of the new challenges presented by smartphone and wireless broadcasting technologies. Prior to the 1979 House and 1986 Senate decisions to broadcast proceedings, television cameras rarely covered floor proceedings in either chamber. In 1947, the House allowed television cameras to broadcast portions of the opening session of the 80 th Congress, but no other regular sessions were broadcast over the next few decades. The State of the Union address was also first televised in 1947, an event that continued to be broadcast and was often the public's only televised glimpse inside the House chamber. The only video broadcast from the Senate floor prior to 1986 was the swearing-in ceremony of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller on December 19, 1974. Committee hearings, although not regularly televised, were more frequently broadcast than floor proceedings in this early period, at the discretion of individual committees. In spring 1948, the Senate Armed Services Committee became the first congressional committee to broadcast a hearing, and the House Un-American Activities Committee followed a few months later. In these instances, committees allowed camera operators from the television networks to attend and film the hearings. This practice was formalized in the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, which provided that House and Senate committees could, but were not required to, allow hearings to be filmed. Prior to this legislation, it was not universally agreed upon who exercised authority over committee broadcasts; some believed that television broadcasts fell under the authority of House committees to open and publicize their own hearings, but others believed the Speaker needed to grant the committees permission to broadcast. In 1974, the Joint Committee on Congressional Operations, a bicameral panel established by the 1970 act, expressed concern that the American public lacked information about how Congress worked. Noting that the President had successfully utilized radio and television to increase executive branch exposure and prestige, the joint committee considered a number of ways to improve congressional mass communications, including televised floor proceedings. Instead of relying upon broadcast networks to air portions of congressional coverage in newscasts or in lieu of other programming, new cable and satellite technologies offered Congress the possibility of its own designated channels that could provide all proceedings in their entirety. The joint committee recommended that the House and Senate provide radio and television coverage of their regular proceedings, but each chamber still needed to adopt the recommendation, establish broadcasting rules, and work out technical logistics and funding. House floor proceedings and many House committee proceedings are available as live or recorded video footage which may be used by media outlets, members of the public, and Congress itself. Regulations governing these videos are generally found in the Rules of the House of Representatives. Media outlets seeking access to House proceedings or House-provided video footage must be accredited by the House Radio and Television Correspondents' Gallery. Those approved may show portions of proceedings, as in part of a newscast, or show congressional proceedings in their entirety, as C-SPAN chooses to do. Committees may adopt additional rules that affect how videos of their hearings, meetings, or other proceedings are produced or used. The Speaker of the House has the ability to administer and direct video coverage of House floor proceedings, and often delegates some responsibilities to other House offices. For example, the House Recording Studio generally operates the video equipment to film the House floor and the Clerk of the House maintains the online video services provided by the House. Section 116(b) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 enabled House committees to allow photographic, radio, and television coverage of their proceedings. This legislation amended Rule XI of the House, outlining certain guidelines to preserve "acceptable standards of dignity, propriety, courtesy, and decorum," stating, for example, that audio and video recordings can only be used for educational or informational purposes and not for any partisan campaign purposes. Committee videos cannot be used to discredit or dishonor a Member, the committee, or the House, nor can videos be used to distort the purpose of the hearing. Rule XI also enables House committees to adopt individual rules to govern video coverage. Typically, television, radio, and photography coverage are permitted if a committee or subcommittee proceeding is open to the public. Some committees adopt more detailed rules, addressing, for example, the number of journalists allowed or where cameras must be positioned in a hearing room. Committee rooms may only be able to accommodate a certain number of cameras. In the past, news networks or C-SPAN often had to provide their own cameras for committee coverage, and some broadcast outlets may continue this practice. Today, many House committee websites broadcast videos of eligible proceedings live and provide archives of past videos. In recent years, the Internet and advancements in digital video equipment have enabled committees to create, broadcast, and archive videos more easily and inexpensively. Often, these videos are posted on YouTube, with the content embedded into the committee website. Alternatively, some committees simply provide a link to their YouTube page for video content. Although most House committees post their own videos online, they usually have not adopted formal committee rules that apply to Internet video broadcasting or archiving. By the 1970s, many House Members were interested in television as a means to better inform the public about the workings of Congress, yet others were concerned that cameras in the chamber might be distracting or cause disruptions. In addition to these concerns, the House faced a number of logistical matters related to video production and distribution. Ultimately, the House chose to control its own video production but rely on privately-operated television stations to distribute the content. This decision alleviated some concerns about the cost of televising the House, but others remained worried that the House's exclusive control of video coverage could lead the public to believe they only saw "a censored view of our activities." The Internet made it possible for the House to distribute video easily and inexpensively, and in 2011, the House chose to supplement its existing means for distributing videos by providing video access through its website. Following a preliminary closed-circuit video broadcasting test, the House adopted H.Res. 866 in October 1977. Under H.Res. 866 , the Speaker of the House set up a closed-circuit video system to show floor proceedings in locations throughout the Capitol and House office buildings. The Committee on Rules would study "all alternative methods" for providing video and audio coverage of the proceedings and provide recommendations by February 15, 1978, for how the House should proceed with video coverage. The Speaker would then devise a system for broadcasting, distribution to news organizations, and storage and preservation of recordings. Many of the provisions found in H.Res. 866 were incorporated in the Standing Rules of the House of Representatives at the start of the 96 th Congress (1979-1980) and continue to apply to House video coverage and its use by media outlets. For example, H.Res. 866 stipulated that video footage would be "complete, gavel-to-gavel, and unedited," and it would be made available to any news station, network, or correspondent accredited by the House Radio and Television Correspondents' Galleries. These provisions helped alleviate concerns that a House-controlled broadcast might be censored for political reasons or violate the rights of a free press. Additionally, House video footage can be used for news or public affairs programs, but it cannot be used for commercial or political purposes.