ISLE OF WIGHT—Residents will soon be able to watch the Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors conduct county business “almost instantaneously” on the Internet, according to county spokesman Don Robertson.

The board last week approved a service agreement with Granicus Inc. to show and index its meetings on the Internet. The San Francisco-based company provides services to more than 700 clients across the country, including the cities of Suffolk, Hampton and Newport News.

“It just provides a lot of flexibility and a lot of opportunities for people to be informed on what the board’s doing at any given time,” Robertson said.

The board’s meetings currently broadcast days later on the county’s PEG channel on Charter Communications cable, which leaves out people who don’t or can’t subscribe to cable service.

“That would give us the ability to reach more people than we can currently reach with it just being on the PEG channel,” Robertson said.

Board meetings would still be shown on the PEG channel.

The total cost for the system this fiscal year is expected to be about $14,000. That includes an initial cost of $9,378. The annual cost for the following year is expected to be about $13,200.

Once the system is installed, Robertson said other county meetings and events might be broadcast online. He said the county hopes to have the system in place as soon as possible.

“Realistically, it may be the first part of the year before we get everything implemented and up and running,” he said. “But we’re working in that direction now.”