Storm Clouds Over Washington

Alleged failures by the National Weather Ser­vice to properly disseminate information prior to Hurricane Katrina have revived interest in controversial legislation. A bill proposed by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) could leave TV-station meteorology departments more reliant than ever on private weather services. Introduced earlier this year, Bill 786 would prevent the National Weather Service (NWS) from offering forecasts that compete with those offered by private services like AccuWeather or WeatherData. That would force stations that rely on free NWS forecasts to pay for commercial ones. Proponents say the bill benefits local broadcasters by forcing the NWS to be more forthcoming and not play favorites in the media. They point to actions taken by the NWS prior to Katrina as a perfect example of what they consider a major problem. Many station execs are unhappy about the bill. The NWS isn't wild about the bill either. Whether or not Bill 786 becomes law, some believe it will at least get the NWS to better address its relationship with the private sector. In a report titled “Fair Weather: Effective Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services,” The Weather Channel (TWC) suggested putting a system in place to manage the boundaries between the NWS and commercial services, as opposed to establishing the strict controls that Santorum’s bill would mandate. Says Ray Ban, TWC executive VP, meteorology science and strategy, “The industry has the obligation to build the right mechanism that would leverage the competencies of the entire weather market.”
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Ken Kerschbaumer]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6273062.html?display=Technolo...
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