Stefan Wolfe wrote:


The demise of the Morse requirement, however, could be a boon for ham radio
itself. After the FCC decision, demand for information
about radio licenses surged from about 200 in a typical weekend to about
500, according to the American Radio Relay League, an
organization representing ham radio operators.
......
"It's part of the dumbing down of America," said Nancy Kott, editor of World
Radio magazine

In the R&O, the FCC observed that there was no connection between morse
code knowledge and compliance with the rules. The old 14.313 disaster
was back in the days of 13 WPM and above coded hams. And VHF didn't
turn into a CB mess since no code technician licenses started. And HF
didn't get worse with 5WPM generals and extras. So as far as the FCC is
concerned, they decided that there was no regulatory point in keeping
element 1 in the tests. And the FCC isn't in the business of handing
out merit badges. The whole point in requiring license testing is to be
sure that people are at least aware of the responsibilities involved
with transmitting RF into the radio spectra, that we do it in such a way
that doesn't trash the spectrum for other users, ham and others. We
then get permission to build, modify and so on transmitting equipment if
we want to. CBers or FRSers are not supposed to do that.

As for newbies, virtually all new hams want to be accepted into our
world, and will learn and adjust their operating habits as needed to be
accepted. This has been true since day one, and aside from a few fools
saying things like "No kids, no lids, and no space cadets" everyone
knows what it was like to be a newbie.