Skype will be playing a prominent role in the coverage on C-SPAN and C-SPAN 2 of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions later this month..

Broadcast & Cable reported Wednesday: "The networks will... use some new technology to enhance their coverage. Correspondents will be armed with Flip cameras and Skype-enabled laptops, allowing for on-the-fly reports from inside and out of the sessions."

C-SPAN's DNC coverage will air Aug. 25-29 and its RNC coverage will air Aug. 31-Sept. 5.

Earlier in the campaign, this blog reported on how Skype was being used by Sen. Barack Obama's supporters to reduce costs for reaching out to voters.

"Political-party conventions remain interesting to the millions of Americans who follow national politics," C-SPAN president Susan Swain said in announcing the coverage. "Convention speeches become previews for future generations of national leaders. Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were all keynote convention speakers prior to their national runs."