In article , Leo
writes:

That's one way of looking at it, Jim. To me, it looks like a purely
political move - that is, trying to please the greatest number of
members...and voters...and customers...

400,000 upgraded licences = 400,000 happier ARRL members.
Drop code = some number of happy new HF - using members.
Keep code for Extra licence = a 'tip of the hat' to the 'Extra' class
members, to give them something to be happy about (although keeping
code testing as a requirement for a licence class that provides only
additional phone bandwidth as a perk is pretty odd, I'd say...but it
does make the Extra level licence harder to get - that's what
everybody wants, right?).

The problem is that the 15 old men of the BoD have just
disenfranchised themselves from over 200K Technician class
licensees who will now carry the wonderful class name of
"Novice."

The ARRL has less than 170K members now. The number of
existing Tech class licensees here is greater than that now.
Those aren't likely to become members to support a group that
thinks they are all "Novices."

NOT good PR to attract membership.

-and- the big one:

New entry level licence with 100W on HF phone, plus simplified test =
a whole bunch of happy new potential ARRL members = lots more
potential members....and voters....and customers.....

"Customers" they already got. Membership is lagging.

ARRL is down to a measly $12 million annual budget (according
to the IRS forms).

All of these proposals are good news for the manufacturers of ham
equipment, and perhaps for us too - if demand is increased, production
will increase and prices of HF radios might do down!

...and Ten-Tec Orion software might finally be completed...:-)

Plus, each one of the above members that got something additional
added to their privileges if this proposal is accepted would have the
ARRL to thank for it. In theory, anyway.

Considering that, following the ITU decision to make code optional
most of the world is moving towards removing the mandatory Morse Code
requirement outright, there isn't much else that they could do without
looking like defenders the status quo, and annoying even more of their
members....and denying them the rights being granted to their fellow
amateur radio neighbours in the rest of the world.

They could have changed the Tech class name to something
they must be thinking of...like "Scum of Radio" or "Not Real
Ham" class.

When the BoD met, they must have arrived with their baggage
intact. Emotional baggage.

Like, for instance, those just north of you have proposed to do - and
that's likely to happen fairly soon, I expect.

I hope that powers-that-be in Canada are with those of us in this
millennium, not the fantasyland of olden days as in the League.

LHA / WMD