MiCongress lets lawmakers buy own cable channels to talk to constituents

Entrepreneur Stuart Shapiro thinks lawmakers have an image problem. And it's no wonder, he says, considering the great lengths to which they have to go to get the public's attention. They make a scene during their floor speeches. They bicker on talk shows. And they must rely on the news media to report what they've said -- beyond their most recent gaffes.

It's a shame, Shapiro says, that these public servants "work so diligently and have such a passion for caring for their constituents, but it's not being reflected out in the real world."

That's why his company, iConstituent, recently began a service called MiCongress, which lets lawmakers buy their own on-demand cable channels. For a fee, members of Congress can speak directly to their constituents using the same technology that allows cable subscribers to watch back episodes of "Top Chef D.C." whenever they want.

Like the most recent iteration of the Bravo cooking reality show, MiCongress (pronounced "like iPhone," Shapiro says) might not be a blockbuster. And it's not cheap. Lawmakers pay an average of $2,000 a month for the service, and they may do so by digging into their taxpayer-funded office budgets.

So far, five members have signed up: Reps. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), Solomon P. Ortiz (D-Tex.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). The service costs two cents per reachable constituent and allows lawmakers to make available about 30 minutes of video at any given time. They are permitted to use their office budgets under Congress's franking rules, because it is not considered partisan or campaign speech.

The first to sign up was Moran, who has big plans for the channel, spokeswoman Emily Blout said. The target audience is the young professional set that makes up 40 percent of his Northern Virginia district, she said.

"In days gone by, you'd send out a newsletter blast to tell people what you've been doing, but a lot of people these days don't read that stuff," she said. "They don't have the time or the inclination to read a pamphlet. This is another means for the congressman to provide services to the community."

Moran's channel contains clips of him explaining his views on several issues. It also includes a biographical video, though you would be forgiven for mistaking it for a campaign commercial. Inspirational music surges as Moran shakes hands with constituents in Old Town Alexandria and talks about his passion for the environment. Blout and Shapiro say that despite its appearance, it is not intended to be a campaign piece.

"I'm just trying to make [people] feel good about their members of Congress," said Shapiro, who produced the video. "It's funny you would think of that as a campaign-style thing."

This is not Shapiro's first foray into constituent communications. His Washington-based company handles e-newsletters for many lawmakers and is also behind many of those telephone town-hall meetings that have become so popular.

It isn't his first experience with cable television, either. Before starting iConstituent in 2003, Shapiro was best known for his role as a senior producer of "Night Flight," a late-night variety show of music videos, cartoons, B movies and documentaries that aired in the 1980s and 1990s on the USA Network.