New Bill Would Ban Public NOAA Weather Data

I'm still trying to sort out exactly what this means, but if it passes, it
can't be good for pilots:

http://politics.slashdot.org/article...id=103&tid=187
&tid=98&tid=219

The actual bill is at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.786: (as
far as I can tell, that trailing ":" is part of the URL). Time to write
your congresscritters, folks, and tell them how stupid this bill is.

Roy Smith writes:

I'm still trying to sort out exactly what this means, but if it passes, it
can't be good for pilots:

http://politics.slashdot.org/article...id=103&tid=187
&tid=98&tid=219

The actual bill is at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.786: (as
far as I can tell, that trailing ":" is part of the URL). Time to write
your congresscritters, folks, and tell them how stupid this bill is.

Um...where are you reading the restriction you put in the subject: line?

In section 2(a)(1) the bill enumerates responsibilities for the NWS,
including the issuance of warnings and forecasts, and the collection/
exchange of meteorological information, and 2(c) mandates that "all
data, information, guidance, forecasts, and warnings [be issued] in
a manner that ensures that all members of the public have [access].

Now...section 2(b) does present some problems in that it says that
except for the work explicitly enumerated in 2(a), plus whatever
is other tasks are assigned by the Secretary of Commerce, NWS cannot
provide data which is available (presumably for a fee) from the
private sector.

Joe Morris