Senate bill 786 seeks to shut down the National Weather Service from competing with the likes of AccuWeather a.k.a. CrapUWeather which charges for weather information and is very very unhappy you can get your weather info for free on the web. How dare you look for free weather forecasts!
The NWS is a government agency supported by tax dollars and makes available all kinds of information on the web, including live radar info, maps etc.
The bill would basically forbid the National Weather Service from providing any information that a private weather service could. The only exception would be in cases of severe weather.
A lot of boaters here in South Florida depend on the National Weather Service when they go out in the ocean they will have to pay AccuWeather and other similar services for the daily forecast other than those at the local TV station sites and perhaps your weather radio will be out of commission unless you pay a monthly fee!!!
And who knows what would happen to awesome sites like Weather Underground which renders local station sites pretty useless
If you’re concerned about this bill and the future of the National Weather Service you can contact your senator and give them a piece of your mind, politely! They need to hear from you and really get a feel of how bad a bill this is!
I’ve heard Bill Nelson answers his emails sometimes so those of you who lurk here and have your own weather sites and boat would probably be able to convey to him in much better terms how vital the NSW is to you.
Weather Underground
Text of Senate Bill S.786
WINK-TV
Senate Bill Could Change National Weather Service Mission
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