Right now, you can get all the weather info you need for free — from the National Weather Service. Your tax dollars pay for it.
But Sen Rick Santorum (R-PA) wants to get rid of the freebies.
He's introduced a bill to bar the National Weather Service from competing with outfits like The Weather Channel or that Puxatawney-Phil-loving AccuWeather bunch.
The bill could ban certain information from the NWS website. Critics say that could include tornado and hurricane warnings. It would leave it up to the Commerce Secretary to decide what to pull off the site.
Sen Bill Nelson (D-FL) says it'd take the country's weather prediction services to a "pre-Internet era."
Sen Santorum and the bill's supporters say it would let the Weather Service continue issuing warnings, just not providing the same info commercial providers put out there — like daily forecasts.
But the Weather Service's Ed Johnson says you can't issue those warnings unless you constantly update forecasts to see the danger approaching. He says, "You don't just plug in your clock when you want to know what time it is."
Right now, you can get hourly updates on temperature, humidity, and the chance of rain from the Weather Service. Same with a seven day forecast or weather data sent straight to your cell phone. All for free.
Sen Santorum's bill would have you paying to run the Weather Service — but having to pay for those services from commercial providers.
But then what do you expect from a Senator who's state relishes Groundhog Day so much they fought to keep $100,000 in pork for the rodent's museum?
[Crossposted at Watching Washington]
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Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
I'd like to see just one story about a competent congressperson, of any party, who actually sets out to accomplish something useful instead of wasting time and effort on things like this. No wonder I remained apolitical for so long, ignorance really was bliss.
2 - Jon Sobel
Actually a lot of Congresspeople often do useful things for their constituents back home. But they're the little things. What you see in the national press are attention-grabbers, from the sublime (or at least sensible) to the Santor-ridiculous.
3 - Matt
Thankfully, we are mere months away from voting this sactimonious jerk out of office in PA.
4 - Weather watcher
Commercial weather services such as AccuWeather want NOAA and the National Weather Service to collect information from surface observations, weather balloons, radar, satellite, etc. Then, AccuWeather wants to get that info free so it can charge taxpayers who already paid for it, to access it. Sweet.
If this were to happen, what would be the economic impact upon the thousands of businesses who would have to pay for once free information? Wouldn't additional costs be passed on to consumers?
Sounds like a terrible deal for everyone but the commercial weather industry.
5 - Temple Stark
Messing with people's weather info !!!!.
That's second only to death in importance for most people.
Cool day today here in Casa Grande, AZ. Only about 84 degrees.
6 - Dave Nalle
So let me get this straight, they want people to PAY for their completely innacurate and idiotic forecasts? If we start paying will they start getting the forecasts right?
Dave
7 - Scott
Being a weatherman is THE cushiest job in the world. I mean, in what other job can you be wrong 50% of the time and get to keep your job?
I used to work at one of my local TV stations of the weather men and women have it soooo unbelievably easy. They play on a computer all day making up maps (which does not take long at all) and they don't have to write scripts for their segments unlike every other portion of the news. Basically they work maybe a solid hour on any average day of the week.
8 - Shark
Wow.
A Republican Senator in the Bush Era who writes legislation that only stands to benefit a few gigantic corporations?
HOW FUCKING UNUSUAL.
What's next?
"Tort Reform"?
"Bankruptcy laws"?
Oh, wait... nevermind.