All,
I agree the language could be better -- but this is EXACTLY the National Weather Service's own language from the Public-Private Partnership Policy in 1991 that was in effect until 2003. Did you have any problem getting the data you needed in those years? If not, you won't have any problem if this becomes law. For that matter, was there a problem with the NWS getting data to the public from 1948 to 1991? That is when the earlier policy called for the NWS to serve the public and the private sector to serve specialized users.
I actually know farmers and other folks in Finney Co. To the best of my knowledge, they did not have problems getting information in 2003. They won't in the future, either. The NWS will still have its web sites, NOAA Weather Radio (from which 3% of the population gets its weather), etc.
Re: Charley. Vortex messages used to be immediate. Once the NWS started competing, the vortex messages started to be delayed. Every vortex message we received in 2004 was delayed.
Re: "Trying to eliminate competition." There are more than 300 companies and individuals in the private sector weather industry. WeatherData®, Weather Central, WDT, Meteorlogix, AccuWeather, Weather Underground, Weathertap, Unisys, WeatherBank, SSI, The Weather Channel, Fleet Weather, WeatherNews, Universal Weather, etc., etc., etc. Look at the back of the "Bulletin" for many more. This isn't enough competition?!
All of these companies battle each other to produce the best products at the best price, which is as it should be. All we ask is a level playing field. When the government gets involved it distorts the free market because the government uses our tax dollars against us and is not subject to the name taxes and barriers to entry we are.
As to the folks that have written (the same) letter to editors to newpapers across the country comparing "private weather vs. NWS" to "U.S. Postal Service versus Fedex" are you really wanting the NWS to charge for its products? If not, the comparison is not valid. There is no way FedEx could survive if the USPS delivered packages free.
Re: "stop whining" I'd love for that remark to be made to the face of one of the more than one hundred private sector meteorologists laid off since the policy went into effect. How about Meteorlogix, which went into bankruptcy, costing many jobs? While WeatherData has done OK, we have lost significant business and suffered some economic stress as a result. We paid less tax -- which meant that our share of the NWS budget was less.
Canada has already tried letting its government weather service compete and its private sector industry was decimated. Canada has already reversed course. Why do we want to make the same mistake?
Re: "they don't want to spend the money deploying their own network" We already have. Go to:
www.aws.com/aws_2001/homeland/index.html and click on the network map link. The private sector already has more real time stations than the NWS. But more to the point, the NWS' network is OUR network -- it belongs to all of us.
I know that many of you are relatively young, so let me give you some background information:
National Weather Service (NWS), like many government agencies, has a culture where the default is to hoard, rather than share, data. Let me cite just two examples:
It will surprise many to learn the private sector worked throughout the ‘70’s to pry weather satellite data (the same satellite images seen on television every day) out of the NWS and into the public domain.
When the current network of Doppler radars used by the National Weather Service was designed, it had no interface that would allow users outside of the federal government to receive or use that valuable data. The private sector weather industry worked hard to get that changed and “NEXRAD†data is viewed on NWS web sites, on television, and in businesses across the country. It is the private sector weather industry that has championed getting data distributed to everyone.
Re: "Repackage." Please go to the AMS web site and look up my article, "Five Myths of Commercial Meteorology" which was published in the "Bulletin" in July, 2002, pp. 993-996. You will find that Myth #1 is that the private sector "repackages" NWS output. We create original storm warnings, forecasts, products and technology. Why? Because our clients demand it.
Glen, thank you for your thoughtful comments. However, I want to make sure you and everyone realize the web sites along with basic ("core") forecasts, etc. would not go away. Neither would basic graphics (say, the type used by SPC). The Department of Commerce would make the final decision.
Mike, thank you for your comments. We agree that lives are the most important consideration which is why this bill concentrates the NWS on that mission. However, I think you will agree that hourly point-specific dew point forecasts are not intended to save lives. This is one of the products that has caused WeatherData and others to lose business.
Let me sum up my position (and our industry position) again: The NWS should focus its efforts on meteorological infrastructure, storm warnings and other essential services. The private sector should serve the specialized users.
Thank you for reading my remarks.
Mike
