In article , "Phil Kane"
writes:

I'm not sure that the Commission will go for an indefinite-term
license, even though the Comm Act appears to permit the Commission
to set terms of licenses by rule for all classes of stations except
broadcast stations which is set by statute.

Here's a thought: if an operator license has indefinite term, how do SK's ever
get reported?

In Japan, operator licenses never expire, even if the operator does. So the JA
operator license numbers you see are really the number of licenses ever issued,
not the number now active or even alive. They can be canceled, I think, but
that takes a lot of paperwork proving that the licensee is, in point of fact,
actually and quite completely dead.

JA station licenses. OTOH, do expire and cost money to renew. Thus the great
disparity between operator and station license numbers.

Also, when a JA ham upgrades, the old license remains on the records.

Imagine if we did that here in the USA. The license totals would be enormous,
and constantly growing! Some of us would show up in the tabulations as many as
5 or 6 times.

hmmmm....

73 de Jim, N2EY