Alaskans can watch or hear the Legislature in action from the comfort of their homes ­ or anywhere they can find a computer hooked up to the Internet.

Capital Community Broadcasting, which owns and operates Juneau public stations KTOO-FM and TV, provides televised C-SPAN-type legislative coverage via "Gavel-to-Gavel," available on 35 cable TV systems.

"Our claim is that there are 433,000 Alaskans who could watch 'Gavel-to-Gavel' because it's available to them on cable TV," said KTOO General Manager Bill Legere.

The stations also offer "Gavel-to-Gavel" and live audio of floor sessions and committee hearings on the Internet at www.ktoo.org/gavel. While TV coverage can handle only one event at a time, what's called "streaming audio" can broadcast multiple floor sessions, committee hearings and press conferences, Legere said.

"We're able to provide up to eight simultaneous audio channels as well as whatever's on TV," he said.

Audio coverage will be archived so people who miss live events can hear the recordings later on the Internet. For example, the Web site had sound from several of Gov. Frank Murkowski's press conferences archived before this year's session began.

Computers need sound cards, speakers and software such as RealPlayer or Microsoft Media Player to access the audio service.

Legere said the audio system showed about half the users were on computers within state government.

"We took that to mean the service was useful within the Capitol as well as state agencies," he said.

"Gavel-to-Gavel" operates on an annual budget of $557,000. The city of Juneau grants $225,000 as part of its effort to make the capital city more accessible and KTOO provides $102,00 in support. The rest of the money is raised from business and organizational sponsors.

The biggest budget item is satellite time for transmitting the cable service, which costs $260,000. Buying the bandwidth to put the service on the Internet costs another $56,000, which is donated by Alaska Communications System.

Other contributors include GCI, the University of Alaska, AT&T Alascom and Phillips Alaska, NEA-Alaska, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547, the At-sea Processors Association, the Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Alaska USA, the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, West Group, the Alaska Committee and the Alaska Conference of Mayors.