Hi, Mark. There are a number of ways that Internet depos can be accomplished. There are some pretty sophisticated arrangements with third-party vendors to do videoconferencing between sites. That's a polished product that comes with a hefty price tag. But lots of attorneys in lots of markets across the country want that.
What I do is much more primitive, but it makes my clients very happy. I'm at my home and I connect to the Internet with a product like Speche or StreamText. I have a link to the site to give my client so they can go in and watch my realtime. I use either a land line phone or Skype to contact my clients in the distant town where they have the deponent present in their conference room. I swear the witness over the phone (which I can do with stipulation of counsel in my state) and start writing. Business as usual.
Of course, it takes more cooperation from the participants than usual in order to make a good record. And I have to have the exhibits either sent to me beforehand or afterward, though sometimes faxed to me during the depo.
It is ALWAYS better to have a court reporter present with the attorneys and witness for the best possible record. Sometimes, however, in rural towns in great big states, it's a serious hardship in terms of time and expense to bring a court reporter hundreds of miles for a one-hour depo. Conducting the proceeding over the Internet is one way to work around those problems.
Good luck! Please don't hesitate to email me if you have other questions. I just finished up two days of remote depos, and it all worked like a charm.
Karen