In case you have not heard of this bill introduced in the Senate, this will give some background info, as well as how it will affect astronomical observations. Here are portions of an email forwarded by colleagues of mine:

Two weeks ago Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penna.) introduced S.786 to restrict National Weather Service data availability to high-speed data portals, i.e to commercial weather data packagers and resellers. It specifically forbids Weather Service employees from making weather data available to the public, and from commenting on weather data. This bill has big implications for the operation of observatories. Needless to say: weather data, forecasts and graphics play a critical Role in observers' and telescope operators' work. At Lick Observatory (and this would be true for other observatories as well)every night we look at a dozen meteograms, a dozen radiosonde soundings, several satellite animations in visible and IR, the zone forecasts, the North Pacific surface and upper-air analyses, radar echoes, and of course the forecasters' discussion pages. Taxpayers pay for these data and services; yet if S.786 passes, ALL these products will be reserved for a very small, necessarily well financed sector. The only major public function left to the Weather Service by this bill is the issuance of hazardous-weather warnings--the one activity that could attract liability law-suits if mishandled. The bill's text is at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.786:

Among vocal opponents to S.786 are the NWS Employees Association, the Airline Owners & Pilots Association and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. S.786 currently is referred to the Commerce Committee.

Gotta love it when the government wants to take publicly-funded information and research and not allow the public access to it. That's how a free, democratic society works.