Before and After: The Transformation of a Non-Compliant Meeting Stream

Prepared by Convene Research and Development

Executive Summary

Within one quarter, delays stabilized, interpretation handoffs were reliable, and complete bundles appeared on schedule. Complaint volume and duplicate records requests declined, and improvements persisted through staff turnover.

Metrics and Thresholds

Most gains came from governance and checklists rather than purchases. Deputies reduced single-person risk; change windows prevented regressions before marquee meetings; laminated presets and per-user logins lowered operator variance.

Operations, Not Gadgets

Sequencing prioritized risk reduction and resident impact: identity and endpoint stabilization → accessibility workflows → publication integrity. Each phase produced public-facing artifacts—linked bundles, drill timelines, glossary updates—that made progress legible.

From First Aid to Durable Change

Our method pairs a rapid baseline assessment (walkthrough + live-meeting shadow) with small, testable interventions. Evidence includes encoder health logs, caption latency snapshots, ISO audio samples for interpretation, and post-publication link audits.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Compliance is meaningful only insofar as residents can perceive it: intelligible audio without clipping, captions that appear fast enough to follow the debate, interpretation that is audible and synchronized, and a reliable archive that presents the full record on a single, predictable page.

Resident-Centered Definition of Success

This case-based white paper traces a municipal live-stream from non-compliance to a resident-centered, fully accessible operation.

Measurable Outcomes

Thresholds tracked resident experience: caption latency ≤2.0s (Tier A), interpreter uptime ≥99%, ASL PiP visible ≥95% of the meeting, and 100% archive completeness within the posting SLA. Misses triggered defined actions and a dated public note when relevant.

1. What Non-Compliance Looks Like to Residents

Residents experience non-compliance as clipped audio, delayed or absent captions, missing interpretation, and archives that are incomplete or hard to locate. These symptoms erode trust and fuel repeated complaints.

Table 1. Before-state symptoms and their real-world consequences

Symptom	Resident Experience	Operational Cause	Public Consequence
No live captions	Hard-of-hearing residents excluded	No configured engine; no operator	Complaints; legal exposure
Echo on interpretation	Listeners abandon stream	Improper mix-minus; return loop	Loss of participation
Broken archive links	Cannot find official record	No canonical page; manual file moves	PR fallout; duplicate FOIA requests
Unsearchable PDFs	Screen reader failure	No tags; images of text	Accessibility complaints; corrections workload
Inconsistent titles/dates	Confusion across portals	No publishing template	Low trust; rumor amplification

2. Baseline Assessment and Evidence

A walkthrough and live-meeting shadow produced objective artifacts: encoder logs, caption latency screenshots, and a link audit of the last six months. Findings were logged with owners and dates.

Table 2. Baseline inventory with severity and owners

Area	Observed State	Severity	Owner	First Fix
Identity & access	Shared admin accounts; no MFA	High	IT/Clerk	SSO + MFA; per-user roles
Captioning	Manual, post-event only	High	Accessibility	Pin live engine; glossary
Interpretation	Phone bridge; echo reports	Medium	AV/Accessibility	Mix-minus diagram; ISO capture
Publication	Recording only; broken links	High	Records/Web	Canonical page; checksums
Logging	Local only; not exported	Medium	IT	Central logs; retention policy

3. Design Principles for a Compliant Stream

Principles translate statutory intent into observable controls operators can test at the console, prioritizing continuity for residents while preserving auditability for records.

Table 3. Principles mapped to observable controls

Principle	Control	Evidence Artifact
Continuity first	Warm standby encoder; LTE profile	Failover drill timeline
Accessibility as a service	Caption latency ≤2.0 s; ASL PiP ≥95% present	Operator dashboard; PiP checklist
Portability by design	Open formats; canonical page; checksums	Artifact samples; checksum log
Governance over heroics	Runbooks; deputies; change windows	Role roster; change log
Observability	Health alerts; link audits	Alert console; audit report

4. The Remediation Plan: From First Aid to Durable Change

Remediation moved in two tracks: first-aid fixes residents could see immediately and structural changes that prevented relapse, sequenced identity and endpoints first, then accessibility, then publication integrity.

Table 4. Remediation phases, milestones, and artifacts

Phase	Milestone	Owner	Artifact/Proof
First Aid (Weeks 1–2)	Pin caption engine; publish corrections page	Accessibility/Clerk	Latency snapshot; public note
First Aid (Weeks 1–2)	Canonical page template online	Records/Web	Linked bundle; checksums
Structural (Weeks 3–6)	SSO + MFA; remove shared accounts	IT/Clerk	Access test; role roster
Structural (Weeks 3–6)	Interpretation routing; ISO capture	AV/Accessibility	ISO tracks; diagram
Structural (Weeks 7–10)	Standby encoder + LTE profile; simulcast	AV/IT	Drill timeline; config export

5. Golden Path Architecture and Failure Domains

The golden path documents signal flow from microphone to archive and names independent failure domains (power, network, vendor). Standby encoders sit on separate power and VLANs; dual RTMP provides platform redundancy; ISO audio preserves interpreter quality.

Table 5. Minimal technical stack with configuration cues

Layer	Primary	Fallback	Configuration Cue
Capture	Close-talk mics; DSP	Handheld wireless spare	Gain ledger; saved presets
Video	PTZ cameras; presets	Static wide camera	Laminated preset sheet
Encode/Record	Primary encoder + cloud	Standby encoder + LTE	Dual RTMP; health alerts
Caption/Translate	Pinned engine + glossary	Alternate engine; human pass	Latency ≤2 s; QA sampling
Publication	Canonical page + bundle	Corrections note	Checksums; link audit
Identity	SSO + MFA; per-user roles	Break-glass dual control	Quarterly access review

6. Accessibility Operations and QA

Accessibility became an operational SLO. The team measured caption latency and accuracy, monitored interpreter uptime, and verified ASL picture-in-picture placement. Misses triggered targeted actions and, if resident-visible, a dated corrections note.

Table 6. Accessibility KPIs and action thresholds

KPI	Target	How Measured	Action on Miss
Caption latency	≤2.0 seconds	Operator dashboard	Switch engine; check audio path
Caption accuracy (sampled)	≥95%	Reviewer rubric	Glossary update; post-edit pass
Interpreter uptime (Tier A)	≥99%	Encoder/ISO logs	Hot swap; verify mix-minus
ASL PiP visibility	≥95% of meeting	Operator checklist	Preset recall; PiP lock

7. Publication Workflow and Records Integrity

A canonical meeting page linked the recording, captions (WebVTT), transcript (HTML/PDF), agenda, minutes, and translations. Uploads were hash-verified; weekly link audits prevented silent regressions; corrections carried dates and reasons.

Table 7. Publication bundle and integrity checks

Artifact	Format/Standard	Integrity Check	Public Location
Recording	MP4 + checksum	Hash verify on upload	Meeting page (canonical URL)
Caption file	WebVTT/SRT	Validator + human spot	Meeting page (linked)
Transcript	Tagged PDF/HTML	Accessibility checker	Meeting page (linked)
Agenda/minutes	Tagged PDF/HTML	Link audit	Legislative portal
Translations	Tagged PDF/HTML	Glossary alignment	Meeting page (linked)

8. Risk Register and Controls

The risk register prioritized audio intelligibility, caption latency spikes, interpreter dropouts, and broken links. Each risk had a trigger threshold, a first action, and an evidence artifact for audits.

Table 8. Risk register with triggers and mitigations

Risk	Trigger	Mitigation	Owner	Evidence
Caption latency spike	>2 s for 60 s	Switch engine; verify audio path	Accessibility	Dashboard snapshot
Encoder failure	>1% dropped frames	Lower bitrate; switch to standby	AV/IT	Drill note; encoder logs
Interpreter echo	Operator report or viewer complaint	Verify mix-minus; adjust returns	Accessibility/AV	ISO sample
Broken links in bundle	Weekly audit finds issues	Repair; post corrections note	Records	Link report; corrections page

9. Procurement and Contracting for Durability

Contracts were amended to protect portability and security: per-user roles with MFA, exportable logs, open artifact formats, change-control windows, and no-fee artifact export at exit. Bake-offs used real agenda content and room audio.

Table 9. Procurement clauses aligned to accessibility outcomes

Area	Minimum Standard	Verification	Risk Mitigated
Identity & roles	Per-user SSO/MFA; no shared admins	Access test; audit log	Account takeover; weak attribution
Logging & exports	Exportable logs; immutable retention	Sample export; policy	Opaque incidents; audit gaps
Formats & portability	WebVTT/SRT; tagged HTML/PDF; no-fee export	Artifact samples; contract	Vendor lock-in; inaccessible archives
Change control	Freeze windows around marquee meetings	Change log; clause	Regression during high-salience events
DPA & data use	No training on municipal data; residency controls	Signed DPA; console settings	Privacy & compliance risk

10. Training Drills and Culture

Short, frequent micro-drills built operator confidence. A quarterly live-switch drill rehearsed standby encoder and LTE failover; drill timelines were attached to the meeting record to normalize transparency.

Table 10. Drill cadence and success criteria

Drill	Cadence	Pass Criterion	Artifact
Daily preflight	Before doors open	All checks green ≤5 min	30 s rehearsal clip; dashboard glance
Quarterly failover	Once per quarter	Standby ≤60 s; no audio loss	Drill timeline; operator notes
Monthly link audit	Once per month	Zero broken links	Audit report; repair log

11. Resident Outcomes: The After-State

Within one quarter, caption latency stabilized, interpretation handoffs were reliable, and complete bundles posted within the posting SLA. Complaints declined and duplicate records requests dropped as residents relied on the canonical meeting page.

Table 11. Before vs. after: outcomes residents can feel

Dimension	Before	After	How Verified
Intelligibility	Clipping; room noise	Stable levels; high SNR	Rehearsal clip; operator meter
Captions	Late/absent; drift	Live; latency ≤2.0 s	Dashboard; sampled QA
Interpretation	Echo; inconsistent	Clear; synchronized; recorded	Mix-minus checklist; ISO
Archive	Broken links; incomplete	Canonical page; complete bundle	Link audit; checksum log
Transparency	Silent fixes	Dated corrections page	Public page; change log

12. Cost and TCO Narrative

The budget narrative emphasized variance reduction: fewer emergency purchases, stabilized accessibility spend via flat-rate tiers, and reduced staff rework after publication.

Table 12. TCO components and savings levers

Component	Driver	Savings Lever	Verification
Licenses/services	Minutes, languages, seats	Flat-rate tiers; version pinning	Invoices; change log
Staff time	Meetings × minutes	Checklists; automation	Timesheets; queue metrics
Storage/egress	Media + captions growth	Lifecycle tiers; CDN	Usage reports
Training/drills	Turnover; cadence	Micro-drills; runbooks	Drill logs

13. Lessons Learned and Replication Playbook

Start with identity and publication—visible improvements that reduce incident severity. Make drills small and frequent to build muscle memory. Write procurement to lock in SLOs, export rights, and change-freeze windows.

14. Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need new hardware? Often not. Begin with governance, checklists, and drills; add targeted spares where the risk register shows exposure.

How do we keep quality under turnover? Deputies, universal checklists, and laminated presets minimize the impact of staffing changes.

15. Endnotes

Endnotes should cite your municipality’s accessibility policies, continuity guidance, and records schedules, enabling auditors and successors to retrace decisions.

16. Bibliography

Accessibility standards for captions and document remediation (e.g., WCAG).
Continuity-of-operations and incident management guidance for public-sector organizations.
Streaming security and DDoS mitigation best practices for public meetings.
Records-retention schedules for audiovisual and web artifacts in municipal contexts.

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