"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , "Carl R. Stevenson"
writes:

"N2EY" wrote in message
...

Do you think we'd still have code testing in the USA today if, back in
1998,
there had been an overwhelming majority of support for NCI's "5 wpm and
sunset
clause" idea?

Yes, I do ... because the FCC was bound by S25.5 of the ITU Radio
Regulations.
(The ONLY reason they gave for keeping the 5 wpm requirement at the
time.)

You misunderstood me, Carl. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Note that I wrote "still have code testing in the USA today" (emphasis on
"today")

IIRC, NCI asked for 5 wpm right away and a sunset clause that would dump
Element 1 if/when S25.5 removed the treaty requirement. FCC did the 5 wpm
thing
but did not enact the sunset provision.

Actually, we asked them to be rid of code testing then, or, in the
alternative if
they could not find a legitimate "out" on S25.5, to drop the code test to
the
minimum they thought necessary to meet that obligation and enact a sunset
clause.

My point was that I think if there had been overwhelming support of both
parts
of the NCI proposal, FCC would have done the sunset clause thing and code
testing would have disappeeared in the USA more than five months ago.
YMMV.

NCI asked the FCC to eliminate code testing if they could see their way
clear,
but we frankly were not surprised by the outcome.

Was there not a request for a sunset clause that would do it
automatically?

Yes, but we weren't surprised that they did not adopt it ... the agency
typically
doesn't like to prejudge the future ...
however, the old addage "Don't ask, don't get." has some truth to it ... so
we asked anyway.

73,
Carl - wk3c