[TenTec] Real Meaning of the New FCC Proposal

[Jeff Frank]

I'm not picking on you in particular Rob, but your idea that cw will continue to live on as strongly, without it being an FCC testing requirement, strikes me as quite naive. The FCC's new proposal to eliminate cw testing is clearly a retraction of a long standing endorsement by them of that mode of operation. Think about why the government continues to fight against the medical use of marijuana ... because recognize to sanction such use (and BTW I believe it ought to be legal for the medically needy) would send a message of endorsement about smoking pot to the general public, and they don't want to do that. They don't want to send that kind of message. Try and read between the lines and look at the meaning and the real implications of things. Regarding the idea of other modes not having to be tested for, so why should cw be ... the FCC's retracting their endorsement of the importance of cw has a different meaning than does never having made an endorsement for one of the other communication modes to begin with. It says "we used to think this was important but now we don't anymore."  That's not the message I want new or prospective hams to get.

Jeff (KX2P)