C-SPAN, which originally stood for
Cable-
Satellite
Public
Affairs
Network, was the first cable television network dedicated to 24 hour-a-day coverage to national government and public affairs. C-SPAN often will show live sessions of the
U.S. House of Representatives while in progress.
C-SPAN first went on the air in 1979. C-SPAN 2, a spinoff network, covers live sessions of the U.S. Senate and went on the air in 1986.