Director of Technology
PUF: What's your job and how has your role changed since you started?
Jada Brock: I'm the Director of Technology for the Georgia Public Service Commission. I began my career with the agency in December of 1998.
There have been numerous changes during the past two decades. When I began working here we had one server in a room. E-mail, the internet and network had just been implemented a year or two prior to my arrival.
Now the Commission has a complex server farm and the ability to access data from a multitude of peripherals. During 2003, audio broadcasts were implemented for a massive cost of seventy dollars. Currently live video broadcasts are available via Livestream and our YouTube channel. Our staff edits the audio feed and posts to the Commission audio calendar for reference and historical purposes.
Currently the Commission is working on a five-year software project named State Transparency and Regulatory System or STARS. The purpose of this project is to update in-house applications, create transparency by sharing data with other state agencies and constituents and improve our overall ability to perform regulatory oversight duties.
PUF: How does the public watch these hearings?