In article , Robert Casey
writes:

Carl R. Stevenson wrote:

I don't see the 5 wpm for Extra thing as a problem - because I don't think
it has a snowball's chance in

[expletive deleted]

of getting approved by the FCC.

One has to ask the question of what the FCC gets out of requiring code
for extras.

That's the key question these days for any license requirement these days. You
make an excellent point.

The problem is that it also applies in other areas, such as "what does FCC get
out of protecting hams from BPL interference?"

As the
treaty requirement is now gone, and no other service uses it, why
bother.

Because hams *do* use it. Some other services use it too, but not to any great
extent.

The FCC isn't
in the business of giving out gold stars for the

[expletive deleted]

of it.

Not about "gold stars". About qualifications. Of course there's differences of
opinion on what qualified means.

Code isn't a lid filter,

*No* test is a perfect "lid filter". Particularly not a test given one time.
There are bad doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc., who have been through much
more extensive and rigorous testing and education, yet were not filtered out by
those testing and education systems.

as witness
14.313 back in the days of 13wpm to be allowed to operate there.

You mean before 1990? (medical waivers)

Remember this:

All those folks on 14.313, 3950, W6NUT, etc., passed *written* exams that
included the rules and regulations. Most of them passed multiple written exams,
yet they broke the rules anyway. So obviously those written tests aren't a
perfect lid filter either. Shall we dump the rules and regs from those written
exams because they didn't do the job?

oh wait, that's what NCVEC is proposing for the entry level!

73 de Jim, N2EY