Legislation introduced by Santorum, S. 786, would restrict NOAA’s broadcasting to emergency weather, like hurricanes and tornados and permit private companies like AccuWeather and The Weather Channel to get all of its daily weather information from NOAA for free. These companies would then turn around and sell the continuous weather updates to the public that NOAA used to provide free of charge.
According to Sailing Magazine, guess who was a major contributor to Senator Santorum's election campaign? Yep... AccuWeather.
I just gave this some more thought. How does this sit with you?
As US Taxpaying citizens, we pay for NOAA to collect weather data. Based on the proposal, this would continue. However, it is proposed that NOAA would then sell this data to a 3rd party who will then bump up the price and sell, what we've already paid for, back to us.
This is one of these things where I foolishly believe that our elected representatives would <i>never</i> allow something as ludicrous as this to pass. But perhaps I'm wrong...
Impex Currituck Pat Traynor - site admin pat@ssih.com
I hope you're right, Pat. Let me correct a mis-statement I made previously. According to BoatUS, the 3rd parties WOULD NOT have to pay for the data from NOAA. So, they get it for free (after our taxes pay for it), and turn around and sell us what we've alrady paid for.
I'm cetainly not interested in having to pay AccuWeather to get something I currently get from NOAA for my tax dollar.
On the other hand, if AccuWeather wants to take the Marine Forecast and make it more accesible, readable and user friendly etc. AND have me "pay for it" by having to ignore some "boater focused" ads on a Web site. I could care less. I can see why the "privates" would want NOAA out of the business of providing regular weather info to the general public - it would send more traffic their way - I'm sure it would be "free" in that no fee for access would be charged (there are other ways of making money - like sponsorships & adds). But I'm not sure how much interest they would have in Marine Weather.
Marine Weather, no matter how you slice it, is a niche market. I don't think AccuWeather, or Weather Channel would do it as thoroughly or as effectively as NOAA. Like with a number of marginal enterprises, the public sector has the market because the private sector is dis-inclined to do it as the profit margin is not substantial enough.
That said, we should still lobby our reps to defeat the bill!