At Monday’s City Council meeting, as chair of the Telecommunications Commission, I reported that the City may need to address the inability for the public to stream video on demand to some Apple-type devices. (Notice I didn’t say “computers”.) Many visitors to Malibu, and residents, rely on their mobile iPads and iPhones for primary communications.
Mayor Rosenthal and Mayor Pro Tem La Monte quipped that they have no problem streaming City video to their Apple (computers), but they totally missed the point. The current inability to stream to iPad and iPhone devices (“Apple-type devices”) was, in fact, confirmed after the meeting by the City’s Media and Technology Technician. Other iPad and iPhone users in the audience (and staff) also acknowledged the inability to view City video.
The current limitation on video service from this City, combined with the misconceptions by some elected leaders regarding the various technologies and service providers, along with the currently deplorable wireless communication conditions of several wireless carriers in many City locations, are prime examples why Malibu desperately needs a Telecommunications Commission to keep watch over and plan for system improvements and future services, new technology, and implementing City-hosted WiFi at its parks.
Especially during emergencies, all forms of communications are needed to inform the public, for the public to access that information, and for residents to communicate with other residents and relatives. These essentially are the assignments and duties of the Telecommunications Commission, more specifically specified in Chapter 2.48 of the Malibu Municipal Code.
Ryan Embree